u 
NOTES, 



CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL, 



ON THE BOOK OF 



JUDGES: 



DESIGNED AS A GENERAL HELP TO 



BIBLICAL READING AND INSTRUCTION. 



By GEORGE BUSH, 

PROP. OP HEB. AND ORIENT. LIT. N. Y. CITY UNIVERSITY. 



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PUBLISHED BY NEWMAN AND IVISON, 
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CINCINNATI : MOORE & ANDERSON. AUBURN : J. C. IVISON & CO. 
CHICAGO : S. C. GRIGGS & CO. 

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INTRODUCTION. 



§ I . Title ; its Origin and Import. 



99 



The seventh book in the received order of the Hebrew Scriptures is 
termed Q^ttSIEJ Shophetim, Judges ; a name derived from E&"2" shaphat, 
to judge, to determine causes, to do justice, to vindicate ; and also, in gene- 
ral, to rule, govern, regulate, and applied here to the chief rulers who 
governed the Hebrew Republic from the days of Moses till the time of 
Saul because ruling and judging are so intimately* connected in the 
East, that sitting in judgment is one of the principal employments of the 
oriental sovereign. From this it will be seen that the title, as thus ap- 
plied, is to be taken in a wider sense than the same term conveys with 
us, viz., persons appointed to determine litigated questions, and to pro- 
noun" 'b? ^m'ence of the law in criminal cases. Here, on the other 
hand, it is used to denote those occasional leaders and chief magistrates 
of the Israelites who led out the people to war against their enemies, 
and after having delivered, them from the oppression of the neighboring 
na us, exercised each during peace the office of chief ruler and judge 
Oi ael. Still the predominant idea conveyed by the term is rather 
(hi of military commanders, or more properly avenging deliverers, than 

judicial officers, as this latter function came more within the pro- 
. .nee of the priests. 

As the government of the Hebrew nation was strictly a Theocracy, 
in which Jehovah himself was the chief magistrate, no provision was 
made for the appointment of any permanent or general ruler of the 
people. The High Priest was a kind of prime minister of Jehovah, 
who exercised a general superintendence over all the great interests of 
the nation, when there was no civil or military ruler especially chosen 
for the purpose. Each of the tribes had also their respective chiefs, 
clothed with the primitive patriarchal powers, and in the ordinary state 
of things these arrangements were sufficient for the due administration 
of the affairs of the people. But when peculiar emergencies arose, in 
consequence of the hostilities provoked by the apostasy and rebellion 
of the Israelites, extraordinary officers were called into requisition, on 
whom was bestowed the appellation of Judges. They arose from time 



IV INTRODUCTION, 

to time, as their agency was needed, and for the most part when the 
tokens of a public repentance induced God to compassionate their cala- 
mities, and afford them deliverance. They were sometimes called by 
God himself to the office they sustained, and sometimes elected by the 
people. The authority with which they were clothed on their first ap- 
pointment, was in some instances surrendered when they had achieved 
the objects to which it was owing - , and in others was continued during 
life. They were not all, however, military leaders, and some of them 
appear to have ruled simultaneously over different tribes ; and this is 
one of the circumstances which render the chronology of this period so 
perplexing 

( They did not,' says Mr. Kitto, c transmit their dignity to their de- 
scendants, neither did they appoint successors. They could not enact 
laws or impose taxes on the people, though they made peace or war, 
and in their judicial capacity decided causes without appeal. Yet all 
this power seems to have been rather the result of character and influ- 
ence, than of any authority recognized as inherent in the office. No 
salary or income was attached to it, nor did they receive emoluments 
of any kind. They had no external marks of distinction ; they were 
surrounded by no circumstances of pomp or ceremony; they had no 
courtiers, guard, train, or equipage. They were, in general, men of 
moderate desires, and content to deserve well of their country, without 
seeking to aggrandize or enrich themselves. They always considered 
and conducted themselves as specially called of God, relying upon him 
in all their enterprises, and making it their chief care to bring their 
countrymen to acknowledge, worship, and obey him. Though evincing 
in some melancholy instances the infirmities of human nature, yet they 
were on the whole models of true patriotism and of moral worth, and 
eminently free from the public crimes, which in all ages have so noto- 
riously flown from the possession and the lust of power.' 

It is worthy of remark, that the Carthaginians, who were descended 
from the Tyrians, and spoke Hebrew, called their chief magistrates by 
the same name : but the Latins, whose language lacks the sh of the an- 
cient Hebrews and Carthaginians, wrote the word with a sharp s, and 
adding a Latin termination, denominated them Suffetes ; a class of func- 
tionaries very nearly resembling the archons of the Athenians, and the 
dictators of the Romans. 

§ 2. Author and Age. 
The authorship of the book cannot be determined with absolute cer- 
tainty. Some ascribe it to Samuel, some to Hezekiah, and some to 
Ezra, who is supposed to have compiled it from the memoirs furnished 



INTRODUCTION. V 

by the respective judges of their own government. This hypothesis is 
founded mainly on what is said ch. 18. 30, ' He and his son were priests 
to the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivity of the land,' from 
which it has been imagined that it was not written till after the Baby- 
lonish captivity. But this conjecture is evidently erroneous; as upon 
comparing Ps. 78. 60, 61, and 1 Sam. 4. 11, with that passage, it ap- 
pears that the captivity intended by the historian was a particular cap- 
tivity of the tribe of Dan, or of that part of it which was settled in the 
north, and which took place about the time the ark was taken by the 
Philistines. Besides, the total absence of Chaldee words sufficiently 
proves the date of the book to have been several centuries anterior to 
the great Babylonish captivity. Such words are of frequent occurrence 
in books known to have been written posterior to that event. Most of 
the Jewish and Christian commentators assign the authorship to Sam- 
uel ; probably because internal evidence places it pretty clearly about 
his time, and in his time he is the most likely person to whom the writ- 
ing of it could be ascribed. That it was written after the establishment 
of the regal government, appears from the habit the author has of say- 
ing, that such and such events happened in the time when ' there was 
no kins: in Israel ;' which renders it evident that there was a king when 
he wrote. But that it was written very soon after the establishment of 
kingly government is no less clear from other passages. Thus we see, 
from ch. 1. 21. that the Jebusites were still in Jerusalem in the time of 
the author-, but this people were expelled from that city early in the 
reign of David, 2 Sam. 5. 6. So also in 2 Sam. 11. 21, there is a dis- 
tinct reference to a fact recorded Judg. 9. 53, wlich affords another 
proof that this book was written before the second of Samuel. On the 
whole, there is little doubt that the book of Judges was composed in its 
present form, either in the reign of Saul or during the first seven years 
of the reign of David, and this renders it more probable that it was 
compiled from the public registers and records by Samuel, than by any 
of the other prophets, priests, or kings, to whom it has been attributed. 

§ 3. Structure and Division. 

The book is not constructed with reference to the precise chronologi- 
cal order of the events narrated. It is clearly divisible into two leading 
parts; the first embracing the history of the Judges from Othniel to 
Samson, and extending to the end of the sixteenth chapter; the other, 
occupying the rest of the book, forms a sort of appendix, narrating cer- 
tain memorable transactions which occurred not long after the death of 
Joshua, but which are thrown together at the end of the book, that the 
1* 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

continuous thread of the preceding narrative might not be interrupted 
What relates to the two last Judges, Eli and Samuel, is related in the 
following book. 

§ 4. Chronology. 
The Chronology of this book is exceedingly embarrassed and diffi- 
cult, and there is little agreement among learned men respecting it. 
This arises chiefly from the facts related being reckoned from different 
eras which cannot now be exactly ascertained; and also from judges 
being thought by some to be successive, whom others consider to have 
been contemporary in different parts of Palestine. Without reciting the 
details of the different hypotheses proposed to solve these difficulties, it 
may be sufficient to state, that Dr. Hales makes the whole period from 
the death of Joshua to the death of Samson to be 400 years, while Usher 
and Lightfoot make it not far from 300. After all it is doubtful whe- 
ther, from the nature of the book, it is possible to adjust the narrative 
into a regular chronological series. It appears, for the most part, to 
have been composed of loose historical memoranda, having little rela- 
tion to each other, and put together by the compiler, like the narratives 
of the Evangelists in the New Testament, without the least view to a 
methodical arrangement. Accordingly in our remarks on the book we 
purposely leave all chronological questions untouched. 

§ 5. Scope and Character. 
The book of Judges forms an important link in the history of the 
Israelites, and is very properly inserted between the books of Joshua and 
Samuel, as the Judges were the intermediate governors between Joshua 
and the kings of Israel. It furnishes a lively description of a fluctuat- 
ing and unsettled people, a striking picture of the disorders and dangers 
which prevailed in a republic without magistracy, when ' the highways 
were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways,' when few 
prophets arose to control the people, and ' every one did that which was 
right in his own eyes.' It exhibits the contest of true religion with 
superstition ; displays the benefits that flow from the former ; and re- 
presents the miseries and evil consequences of impiety; affording, in 
fine, a complete verification of the warnings and predictions of Moses, 
that ihe children of Israel should be prosperous or unfortunate, accord- 
ing as they obeyed or violated the divine commands. From the scenes 
of discord and violence which darken this history, Paul has presented 
us with some illustrious examples of faith, in the instances of Gideon, 
Barak, Samson, and Jephthah ; and Dr. Graves remarks, that 'by a 
superficial reader, the whole period under the Judges may be easily 



INTRODUCTION. Vll 

mistaken for an uninterrupted series of idolatries and crimes, from his 
not observing that the lapses which inctirred punishment, and the divine 
deliverances winch attended repentance, are related so fully as to occupy- 
almost the whole narrative ; while long periods, when, under the gov- 
ernment of the Judges, the people followed God and the land enjoyed 
peace, are passed over in a single verse, as productive of no events 
which required a particular detail.' 

The whole period is distinguished by a display of extraordinary 
events, and by the most glaring and miraculous proofs of divine inter- 
position. The history of God's government must necessarily be charac- 
terized by the demonstrations of his immediate agency; and the selected 
instruments of his will may well be expected to exhibit a succession of 
unprecedented exploits. It should, however, be observed that some of 
the actions here recorded were justifiable only on the supposition of a 
divine warrant, which superseded all general rules of conduct. With- 
out this, the deeds of Ehud, and of Jael, might be pronounced censura- 
ble for their treachery, however commendable the motives by which they 
were prompted. In respect, too, to some other incidents, it is obvious that 
the sacred writer by no means vindicates all that he relates; and that 
the indiscriminate massacre of the people of Jabesh-Gilead, and the rape 
of the virgins at Shiloh, stamped as they are with the evident marks of 
injustice and cruelty, cannot possibly be justified on the principles which 
the Scriptures elsewhere furnish. In all such cases, and in the recorded 
characters of God's ministers in general w T ho are brought before us in 
this book, we perceive the traces of human infirmity ; and while we 
discriminate between the lights and shades that mark the picture, it 
cannot be questionable what parts of their conduct v;e are called to 
imitate and what to avoid. 

§ 6. Chronological Arrangement of Contents. 
We have already remarked (§ 3), that the book consists of two dis- 
tinct portions of which the latter is to be regarded as a kind of appen- 
dix to the former. This portion, which is composed of the last five 
chapters, embraces the narrative of events that occurred much earlier 
in the thread of the history than would be inferred from their position 
in the order of the book. The following tabular synopsis gives the 
entire contents, according to a just chronological arrangement. 

Part I. — Interregnum after the death of Joshua. 

1. The Israelites destroy several cities of the Canaanites, 

and make others tributary to them, - - chapter I. 

2. The people reproved by the Angel for not exterminating 

the Canaanitish nations, II. 1-5. 



V112 INTRODUCTION. 

3. The character of the people after the death of Joshua, II. 6-10. 

4. Introduction of idolatry among them, - - XVII. XVIII 

5. History of the Levite of Ephraim ; the murder of his 

concubine by the Benjamites of Gibeah ; and the war 

of the other tribes with them, - - - XIX-XXI. 

6. The corruption of religion and manners among the Is- 

raelites, and their intermixture with the Canaanitish 
nations, - - - • '- - - - II. 1 1— III. 7. 

Part II. — The History of the Oppressions of the Israelites, and their De- 
liverances by the Judges. 
J. The servitude of the eastern Israelites under Cushan 
Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and their deliver- 
ance by Othniel, ------ III. 8-12. 

2. Servitude of the eastern Israelites under Eglon, the 

king of Moab, and their deliverance by Ehud 7 III. 12-30, 

3. The western Israelites delivered by Shamgar, - III. 31. 

4. Servitude of the northern Israelites under Jabin, king 

of Canaan, and their deliverance by Deborah aad 

Barak, IV- 

The triumphant song of Deborah and Barak, - V. 

5. The eastern and northern Israelites enslaved by Midi- 

an, and their deliverance by Gideon, - - VI- VIII. 

6. The usurpation and death of Abimelech, - IX. 

7. The history of the administration of Tola and Jair, X. 1-6. 

8. The oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines and 

Ammonites, and their deliverance by Jephthah. X. 7 -XII. 7. 

9. The administration of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, XII. 8-15. 
10. The oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines, and 

their deliverance by Samson, - XIII-XVI. 

§ 7. Commentators. 

The Commentators upon this book are for the most part the same as 
those who have undertaken to illustrate the book of Joshua, and whom 
the reader will find enumerated in the Introduction to that book. Of 
these the most important are the following r — 

Sebastiani Schmidii Commentaries in Librum Judicum, in quo prater 
diligentem textus cxplicati&nem, pnecipucs quesiioncs et loci communes, quos 
vocant, ad singula capita et sub finem appendix chronologica adduntur. 
Argentorati. 1706. 4to. 

Of the elder commentators it would not be easy to point out a supe- 
rior to Schmid. For accurate analysis, for strict and careful explica- 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

tion of words and phrases, for rigid preciseness in fixing the connexion, 
and for skill in drawing out his didactic inferences, he is almost un- 
rivalled. He is indeed prone to dwell unduly upon trifles, but this was 
the fault of the age, rather than of the man. His works are a rich 
store-house of biblical exposition, and the Commentary on Judges is the 
most finished of his productions. Walch says of it, in his ' Bibliotheca 
Theologica,' that it is ' a distinguished work, at the head of all the com- 
mentaries which our countrymen have written. The author treats 
every thing, both words and things, diligently, learnedly, and copiously, 
and whoever consults this work, can easily dispense with all others.' 
Buddeus, iu his ' Isagoge,' is equally decided in his testimony to the 
merits of Schmid as a commentator. 

Nicolai Serrarii Judices et Ruth explanati. Moguntiae. 1609. Fol. 

Victorini STRiGEt-n Liber Judicum, argumcntis et scholiis illustratus, 
Lipsiae. 1575, 1586. 8vo. 

Davidis Chvtrjei in historiam Judicum populi Israel dilucidus et per- 
spicuus commenlarius, cum inserta illius temporis historiarum chronologia. 
Francofurti. 1 589. 8vo. 

Jo. Adami Osiandri Commentarius in Librum Judicum, exhibens sacrum 
cum exegesi textum, leclicnum et versionum varietatem, conciliatas antilo- 
gias, chronologiam, utilium quaslionum solutiones, objectiones cum vindiciis 
observations philologicas , et locos communes doctrinales. Tubingoe. 
1682. Fol, 

* To be enumerated among the best interpretations of this book.' Walch. 

Martini Bcceri Commentarius in Librum Judicum. Parisiis. 1554, 
1563. Fol. 

Petri Martyri Commentarius in Librum Judicum. Tiguri. 1561. 
Londini. 1564. Fol. 

Jacobi Bonfreri Commentarius in Josuam, Judices, et Ruth. Parisiis. 
1631, 1659. Fol. 

Jo. Enr. Grabii Epistola ad clarissm. vir. Joannem Millium, qua osten- 
dilur, Libri Judicum genuinam lxx. interpretum versionem earn esse, quam 
MS. codex Alexandrinus exhibet ; Romanam autem editionem, quod ad dic- 
tum librum, ab ilia prorsus diversam, atque eandem cum Hesychiano esse. 
Oxoniae. 1707. 4to. 

John Coleridge Miscellaneous Dissertations arising from Judg. xvn. 
and xviii. Lond. 1768. 8vo. 

Christ. Fred. Schntjrrer R. Tanchum Hierosylumitam ad libros Vet. 
Testamenti Commentarii Arabici Specimen, una cum annotationibus ad 
aliquot loca libri Judicum. Tugingee. 1791. 4to. 

Wern. Carl. Ludw. Ziegler Bemerkungen uber das Buch der Richter 
aus dem Geisb des Heldenalters ; nebst Beurtheilung der grieschischen Ver* 



X INTRODUCTION. 

sionem,und Hirer Abuceichung vom Originallcxt ; in Atictoris Theologischen 
Abhandlngen, erster Band. Gotting. 1791. 8vo. pp. 262. seqq. 

Heinr. Eberh. Gottl. Paulus Blicke rn das Buck der Richler, wahr- 
scheinlich den altesten Rest anoder altehebraischen Literatur, in Auctoris 
Theolog. Exeget. Conservalorium, P. II. (Heidelberg, 1822.) p. 180. 
seqq. 

Gottl. Ludw. Studer das Buck der Richter grammatisch und historisch 
erkldrt. Bern. 1835. 8vo. 

A valuable and well digested work; devoted principally to philological 
illustration, and, after the German fashion, keeping studiously clear of 
every practical remark, and of every thing, in fact, beyond the bare letter. 

In addition to the above, much valuable matter bearing upon the elu- 
cidation of different parts of this book, will be found in ' Lowth's He- 
brew Poetry,' ' Green's Poetical Parts of the Old Testament,' ' Herder's 
Spirit of Hebrew Poetry,' and Prof. Robinson's Interpretation of Judges 
ch. 5, the Song of Deborah and Barak, in the ' Biblical Repository/ 
No. III. June, 1831. See also Schnurrer, in ' Eichorn's Repert. vol. 
ix., p. 54. See a summary of its contents in Actis Eruditt. Leips. 
An. 1691, p. 167; and an essay by Schnurrer, in Paulus N. Repert. 
vol. i., p. 117, seqq. — Reland, Dissert, ii., p. 314. 1706. Hottinger, 
Exercit. Antimor. pp. 105. seqq. Smeg. Or. p. 437. Hist. Or. pp. 
40, 120. Disp. Lib. V. T. Supposit., No. I.— Exeg. Handb. A. T. 
vol. ill., p. 18. seqq. 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 



CHAPTER I. 

■jVTOVV after the death of Josh- 
-L^l ua it came to pass, that the 
children of Israel a asked the 
Lord, saying, Who shall go up 

a Numb. 27. 21. ch. 20. 18. 



CHAPTER I. 
1. After the death of Joshua. How 
long after we have no means of de- 
termining ; probably not long, for 
Oihniel, the first judge after Joshua's 
decease, had been his contemporary, 

and was the son-in-law of Caleb. 

IT Asked the Lord. The original 
phrase is the usual one for consult- 
ing the oracle, or inquiring by the 
ministry of the high-priest, and 
through the medium of the Urim 
and Thummim, the will of Jehovah 
as to the great matters of duty and 
policy. As we read of no particu- 
lar person, who succeeded Joshua 
as commander-in-chief of the Isra- 
elites, it is probable that every tribe 
was governed by one or more of its 
elders for a number of years, and 
that in their wars with the Canaan- 
iles they also were their military 
•leaders. As the people were now 
becoming more numerous and capa- 
ble of occupying a larger extent of 
territory, they deemed it expedient 
to renew the war, but having no sin- 
gle head to take the lead in the en- 
terprise, they very properly sought 
direction from above as to the man- 
ner in which the war should be con- 
ducted. It will be observed that they 



for us against the Canaanites 
first to fight against them ? 

2 And the Lord said, b Judah 
shall go up : behold, I have de- 
livered the land into his hand. 



b Gen. 49. 8. 



do not inquire what individual should 
be chosen as successor to Joshua and 
commander of the forces, but which 
of the tribes shall take the preceden- 
cy in the expedition. "Whether each 
tribe was ambitious of the honor or 
fearful of the danger of being first, 
it is not possible to determine, but by 
common consent it was resolved to 
refer the matter to God, the proper 
arbiter in every doubtful case. Hap- 
py is it for us that we have the same 
infallible source of guidance to which 

to apply in all our perplexities. 

•iT Who shall go up for us ? The 
common term for a military expedi- 
tion. See Is. 7. 1 ; Jer. 50. 3. The 
phrase ' for us' puts the ' going up' 
in relation to the whole body of the 
people. The success of whatever 
tribe took the lead would be an ear- 
nest and assurance of the success 
of the rest in obtaining complete 
possession of their respective al- 
lotments. 

2. Judah shall go up. That is the 
tribe of Judah, not a person of this 
name. So in v. 3, Simeon stands for 
the tribe of Simeon, and so also gen- 
erally in the sequel. The prece- 
dency was given to Judah, because 
it was the most numerous, powerful, 



12 



JUDGES. 



[B. C, 1425. 



3 And Judah said unto Simeon 
his brother, Come up with me 
into my lot, that we may fight 
against the Canaanites ; and c I 
likewise will go with thee into 
thy lot. So Simeon went with 
him. 

c ver. 17. 



and valiant oi all the tribes, and that 
which the Lord designed should pos- 
sess the pre-eminence in all respects, 
as being the one from which the 
Messiah was to spring, and for that 
reason crowned with the 'excellency 
of dignity' above all its fellows. Ju- 
dah therefore must lead in this per- 
ilous enterprise; for God not only 
appoints service according to the 
strength and ability he has given, 
but ' would also have the burden of 
honor and the burden of labor go 
together.' Those who have the 
precedency in rank, reputation, or 
influence, should always be disposed 
to go before others in every good 
work, undismayed by danger, diffi- 
culty, or obloquy, that they may en- 
courage others by their example. — - 
"IT I have delivered the land into his 
hand. Have determined that he shall 
subdue it. Not the whole land, but 
the land o? district destined for his 
inheritance. This God has so firmly 
purposed to deliver into his hand 
that it might be considered as already 
done, and such assurance of victory 
would naturally give courage for 
the contest. 

3. Judah said unto Simeon — come 
icp with me, &c. This proposition 
was made to Simeon because these 
tribes being descended, by their pro- 
genitors, from the same father and 
mother, Jacob and Leah, were breth- 
ren in the strictest sense, and because 



4 And Judah went up, and the 
Lord delivered the Canaanites 
and the Perizzites into their 
hand : and they slew of them in 
d Bezek ten thousand men. 

5 And they found Adoni-bezek 
in Bezek : and they fought 

d 1 Sam. II. 8. 

also the lot of Simeon fell within 
that of Judah, This laid a natural 
ground for their union and co-opera- 
tion in the enterprise. c Observe 
here that the strongest should not 
despise but desire the assistance even 
of those that are weaker. It becomes 
Israelites to help one another against 
Canaanites ; and all Christians, even 
those of different tribes, to strengthen 
one another's hands against ihe com- 
mon interests of Satan's kingdom.' 
Henry. Caleb was probably com- 
mander in this war. 

4, The Lord delivered the Canaan- 
ites and ihe Peiizzites. Or, Heb. 
' the Canaanite, even the Perizziie/ 
It is not clear that distinct tribes aTe 
intended. — -IF They slew of them in 
Bezek, &c. That is, in the city and 
the adjacent territory. This city is 
supposed to have been in the tribe of 
Judah, though there was another ly- 
ing to the south of Beth-shean (Scy- 
thopolis) seven miles from Sichem, 
where Saul reviewed his army be- 
fore marching against Jabesh-Gile- 
ad. This verse is to be considered 
merely as a brief compend of the nar- 
rative which is more fully expanded 
in v. 5.-7. No feature of the histori- 
cal style of the Scriptures is more 
common than this, 

5. And they found Adoni-bezek. 
That is, ' lord or king of Bezek ;' 
probably the common title of the 
kings of that place. The original 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER i. 



13 



against him, and they slew the 
Canaanites and the Perizzites. 

6 But Adoni-bezek fled ; and 
they pursued after him, and 
caught him, and cut off his 
thumbs and his oreat toes. 



word aSItt mdtzd, found, is some- 
times used to denote a hostile encoun- 
ter ; to attack, to surprise, and pro- 
bably has that sense here. The first 
■word of this verse, ' and,' would be 
better rendered ' for' in accordance 
with the remark made above respect- 
ing the drift of v. 5-7. 

6. Cut off his thumbs and his great 
ioes. Heb. ' the thumbs of his hands 
and of his feet.' Either by express 
direction or secret impulse from 
God, who thus purposed to 'mete to 
him the measure he had meted to 
others.' ' The Hindoos call the 
thumb the revia-viril, the great fin- 
ger of the hand, and the large toe is 
named the great finger of the foot. 
This punishment was exceedingly 
common in ancient times, and was 
inflicted principally on those who 
had committed some flagrant offence 
with their hands and their feet. Thus, 
those convicted of forgery, or nu- 
merous thefts, had their thumbs cut 
off. The practice is abolished, but 
its memory will remain, as it is now 
one of the scare-crows of the nursery 
and domestic life : ' If you steal any 
more, I will cut off your thumbs.' 
' Let me find out the thief, and I will 
soon have his thumbs ' — Roberts. 
The loss of the thumbs would disa- 
ble them from drawing the bow or 
handling to advantage the sword or 
the spear, and so would in effect ut- 
terly incapacitate them for war. ' As 
to the loss of the great toes, indepen- 
dently of the inconvenience occa- 



7 And Adoni-bezek said,Three- 
score and ten kings, having their 
thumbs and their great toes cut 
oft', gathered their meat under 
my table ; e as I have done, so 

e Lev. 24, 19, 



1 Sam. 15. 33. Jam. 2. 13. 



sioned in the act of running or walk- 
ing, the disabling effect to an Orien- 
tal is infinitely greater than to an 
European. The feet and toes are 
much employed in all the handicraft 
operations throughout the East., and 
in many cases the loss of the great 
toes would completely disqualify a 
man from earning his subsistence. 
Besides the many little active opera- 
tions which they are tutored to exe- 
cute, the artisans, as they work with 
their hands, seated on the ground, 
hold fast and manage all their work 
with their feet and toes, in which the 
great toes have a very prominent 
duty to perform. Ward, in his ' View 
of the Hindoos,' has fully shown to 
what excellent uses the toes are ap- 
plied in India. ' They are second- 
hand fingers; they are called feet- 
fingers in Bengalee. In his own 
house a Hindoo malces use of them 
to fasten a clog to his feet by means 
of a button, which slips between the 
two middle toes. The tailor, if he 
does not thread his needle, certainly 
twists his thread with them. The 
cook holds his knife with his toes 
while he cuts fish, vegetables, &c. 
The joiner, the weaver, &c, could 
not do without them, and almost 
every native has twenty different 
uses for his toes.' — Pict. Bible. 

7. Three-score and ten kings, &c. 
Not perhaps all at one time, but first 
and last, during his whole reign. It 
would seem that wasting civil wars 
had very much prevailed among the 



14 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1425. 



God hath requited me. And 
they brought him to Jerusalem, 
and there he died. 

Canaanites previous to the arrival of 
the Israelites, and this circumstance 
probably tended to facilitate their 
conquests. ' Judah,' says Lightfoot, 
'in conquering Adoni-bezek did in 
effect conquer seventy kings.' In 
the case of this cruel tyrant we can- 
not fail to perceive the uncertainty 
of human greatness. The mighty 
potentate is here reduced to the con- 
dition of a prisoner, to the very ex- 
tremity of meanness and disgrace ; 
showing that pre-eminence in station 
often leads only to a sad pre-emi- 
nence in misery and distress. ' Let 
not the highest be proud, nor the 
strongest secure, for they know not 
how low they may be brought before 

they die.' — Henry. U As I have 

done, so God ho,lh requited me. A 
striking acknowledgment, extorted 
from a guilty conscience, of the re- 
tributive justice of Heaven. ' When 
God's judgments awaken the con- 
science we shall own his righteous- 
ness, and stand self-condemned be- 
fore him.' — Haweis. What pretences 
he had for warring against these 
kings, we know not ; but thus to in- 
sult over the misfortunes of the van- 
quished, to maim their persons, and 
compel them, like dogs, to gather up 
the crumbs from under his table, ar- 
gued a degree of cruelty which one 
could scarcely have conceived to 
exist in a rational being. As the 
personal injuries he had inflicted 
would of course disable them from I 
harming him as long as they were 
kept in bondage, thus to sport him- 1 
self in their miseries, was a conduct j 
of pure gratuitous cruelty, and could 



8 (Now f the children of Judah 
had fought against Jerusalem, 

f See Josh. 15. 63. 



have proceeded only from the most 
barbarous and brutal dispositions. 
But we have cause to be humbled 
for human nature that such propen- 
sities still adhere to it. This is evi 
dent from the pleasure which child- 
ren often take in torturing insects 
and animals, and in vexing and ty- 
rannizing over those who are weaker 
than themselves — a disposition which 
in after life displays itself in a fond- 
ness for despotic sway, in a vindic- 
tive spirit, and in a career of ruthless 
ambition. But God is known by the 
judgments that he executeih, and this 
cruel Canaanite was in his turn 
made to feel the anguish which he 
had so wantonly inflicted upon oth- 
ers. The Israelites were led to deal 
with him on the principle of their 
own law of retaliation, ' an eye for 
an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' &c. ; 
although, as it would have been in- 
consistent with those gracious affec- 
tions which, as the Lord's chosen 
people, they were bound to exercise, 
they did not reduce him to the same 
ignominy or insult over him with 
the same arrogance that he had 
shown towards others. Thus it is 
that God sometimes makes men's 
punishments to correspond with their 
crimes ; and in this case, notwith- 
standing all the feelings of humani- 
ty, we cannot but acquiesce in the 
judgment that befel him, or help 
being conscious of a secret satisfac- 
tion that the same evils he had so 
cruelly inflicted upon others should 
be brought home to himself. 

8. Had fought against Jerusalem 
and had taken it. This event of 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER I. 



15 



and had taken it, and smitten it 
with the edge of the sword, and 
set the city on fire.) 

9 -And afterward the children 
of Judah went down to fight 
against the Canaanites that 
dwelt in the mountain, and in 
the south, and in the valley. 

10 And Judah went against 
the Canaanites that dwelt in 
Hebron : (now the name of He- 

g Josh. 10. 36. and 11. 21. and 15. 13. 



prior occurrence is mentioned here 
to intimate how it happened that they 
were able to convey the captive king 
to Jerusalem. It was because they 
had before taken that city, and it 
was now in their possession. The 
reason of removing him thither was 
perhaps to make him a more public 
spectacle of the just judgments of 
God against barbarous and blood- 
thirsty tyrants. But though the city 
is said to have been taken, yet the 
hill of Zion. as appears from the 
subsequent history, was still held by 
the Jebusites till the time of David. 

IT Set the city on fire. Heb. 

E8G T$B ta l" 1 5>n hair shilleku baesh, 
cast the city into the fire; an inverted 
phraseology, peculiar to the Hebrew. 
Thus Ps. 74. 7, ' They have cast fire 
into the sanctuary ;' Heb. ' they have 
cast thy sanctuary into the fire.' Joel, 
3.-18, 'The hills shall flow with 
milk ;' Heb. ' milk shall flow with 
hills.' This burning the city or a 
part of it, was probably in token of 
their detestation of the idolatry which 
had been practised there. 

9. Went down to fight, &c. That 
is, descended to the hill-country ly- 
ing south of Jerusalem. 

10. And Judah V)ent down against 



bron before was h Kirjath-arba :) 
and they slew Sheshai, and 
Ahiman, and Talmai. 

11 'And from thence he went 
against the inhabitants of Debir ; 
and the name of Debir before 
was Kirjath-sepher : 

12 k And Caleb said, He that 
smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and tak- 
eth it, to him will I give Achsah 
my daughter to wife. 

li Josh. 14. 15. and 15. 13, 14. i Josh. 15. 15. 
k Josh. 15. 16, 17. 



the Canaanites, &c. That is, under 
the conduct of Caleb, as we learn 
from Josh. 15. 14-19, where sub- 
stantially the same account with the 
present occurs. How this has hap- 
pened, whether the writer of Judges 
took this narrative from Joshua, or 
the writer of Joshua inserted his from 
Judges, it is impossible to determine. 
That both accounts relate the same 
events there can be no doubt, but 
whether those events occurred before 
or after the death of Joshua, is a 
point which we despair of ever hav- 
ing satisfactorily settled. As the 
discussion of the question would en- 
cumber our pages with matter of 
little profit to the general reader, we 
waive it entirely without offering an 

opinion. IT Slew Sheshai, and 

Ahiman, and Talmai. In the paral- 
lel passage, Josh. 15. 14, Caleb is 
said merely to have ' driven out' 
these sons of Anak. The probability 
is, that the* words before us give the 
true sense, and that they were actu- 
ally slain. An enemy driven out is 
not necessarily understood to be slain, 
but whoever is slain is virtually 
driven out, by being expelled from 
among the living. 

11—15. See on Josh. 15. 15-19. 



16 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1444. 



13 Arid Othniel the son of Ke- 
naz, 'Caleb's younger brother, 
took it : and he gave him Ach- 
sah his daughter to wife. 

14 m And it came to pass, when 
she came to him, that she moved 
him to ask of her father a field : 
and she lighted from off her ass ; 
and Caleb said unto her, What 
wilt thou ? 

15 And she said unto him, 
" Give me a blessing : for thou 
hast given me a south land ; give 
me also springs of water. And 

1 ch. 3. 9. m Josh. 15. 18, 19. n Gen. 
33. 11. 

16. The children of the Kenite, Mo- 
ses 1 father in-law. That is, of Jeth- 
ro; but why he is called the Kenite 
it is not easy to say. The probabil- 
ity is, that he inhabited the country 
occupied by a people of this name, 
Num. 24. 21. 22, and on this account 
in process of time came to be distin- 
guished by the same appellation. 
Whether Jethro himself accompa- 
nied Israel into Canaan, according to 
Moses' invitation, Num. 10. 32, is 
not clear, but that his posterity did is 
certain. After their arrival, they at 
first pitched their tents near Jericho, 
called also ' the city of Palm trees,' 
which lay in the lot of Benjamin, 
and here remained during the life- 
time of Joshua. After his death, 
for reasons now unknown, they unit- 
ed with the tribe of Judah, and went 
with them to attack Arad. After the 
conquest of that country, the Kenites 
established themselves there and re- 
mained in it mingled with the Amal- 
ekites, and leading a quiet life re- 
mote from public affairs, till the days 
of Saul. When this king received 
a commandment from God to destroy 



Caleb gave her the upper springs, 
and the nether springs. 

16 °And the children of the 
Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, 
went up out p of the city of palm- 
trees with the children of Judah 
into the wilderness of Judah, 
which lieih in the south of 
q Arad ; r and they went and 
dwelt among the people. 

17 s And Judah went with Si- 
meon his brother, and they slew 
the Canaanites that inhabited 
Zephath, and utterly destroyed 

o ch. 4. 11, 17. 1 Sam. 15. 6. 1 Chron. 2. 55. 
Jer. 35. 2. p Deut. 34. 3. q Numb. 21. 1. 
r Numb. 10. 32. s ver. 3. 



the Amalekites, he sent a message 
to the Kenites to depart from among 
them, as God would not destroy 
them with that devoted people. From 
them descended Hemath, the father 
of the house of Rechab, of whom 
we have so interesting an account, 

Jerem. 35. IT Arad. Of thi> place 

see on Num. 21. 1. IT And they 

went and dwelt, &c. That is, the 
greatest part of them. Some few 
families were dispersed in other pla- 
ces, as we find the tent of Jael, who 
was of this stock, far to the north, in 
the tribe of Naphtali, when Sisera 

took shelter there, ch. 4. 17. 

IT Among the people. Heb. tD3>n D& 
eth haam. that people ; viz. the child- 
ren of Judah resident there. ' They 
who willingly share with God's Is- 
rael in their sufferings in the wil- 
derness, shall share also with them 
in the inheritance in glory.' — Haweis. 
17. And Judah went with Simeon, 
&c. According to previous com- 
pact, v. 3. The thread of the narra- 
tive which had been interrupted for 
the purpose of introducing the fore- 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER I. 



17 



it. And the name of the city 
was called l Hormah. 

18 Also Judah took u Gaza 
with the coast thereof, and As- 
kelon with the coast thereof, 
and Ekron with the coast thereof. 

t Num. 21. 3. Josh. 19. 4. u Josh. 11. 22, 



is here resumed. If Slew the Ca- 

naanites that inhabited Zephath. A 
valley called Zephathah, is mention- 
ed 2 Chron. 14. 19, as lying near 
Maresha in the southern section of 
Judah, where Asa gained a signal 
victory over the Ethiopian army. 
This is probably the same place. It 
Mas now destroyed in pursuance of 
a vow taken by Israel before the 
death of Moses, Num. 21. 1-3, and 
which for some reason they had de- 
layed to perform till this time. This 
seems likely from the fact that the 
same name, ' Hormath,' importing 
■titter destruction, is there also bestow- 
ed upon the devoted region, and we 
can otherwise see no particular rea- 
son for making Zephath an anathe- 
ma on this occasion. Arad appears 
not to have been so much the name 
of a city, as of a tract of country em- 
bracing a number of cities, of which 
perhaps Zephath was the principal. 
18. Took Gaza with the coast 
thereof. With the adjoining territory 
thereof; and so in what follows. 
Having conquered the south, they 
turned their arms towards the Philis- 
tines' country in the west. These 
cities it is said they • took,' but it is 
not said that they slew the inhabit- 
ants, as they ought to have done. 
They probably contented themselves 
with making them tributary, and as 
a consequence of their ill-judged 
lenity, they afterwards recovered 
strength, expelled their invaders, 



19 And x the Lord was with 
Judah ; and he drave out the in- 
habitants of the mountain ; but 
could not drive out the inhab- 
itants of the valley, because 
they had y chariots of iron. 

x ver. 2. 2 Kings 18. 7. y Josh. 17. 16, 18. 



and remained for ages an almost in- 
cessant sowrce of annoyance and 
vexation to the Israelites. 

19. Drave out the inhabitants of 
the mountain. Or, Heb. ~TVT\ D8 25*11 
yoreshelhhahar, possessed the moun- 
tain. The idea of the original how- 
ever is, possessing in consequence of 
a previous expulsion. If the former 
sense of ' driving out' be retained, 
mountain, i. e. the mountainous re- 
gion, is of course used for mountain- 
eers, or the inhabitants of the moun- 
tain, as the name of a country or 
city often stands for its occupants. 
In the parallel member of the sen- 
tence immediately following; the 

word ' inhabitants' is expressed. 

IT But could not drive out, &c. That 
is, Judah could not. The reason 
why they could not was their unbe- 
lief. Had they duly confided in om- 
nipotence, the chariots of iron would 
have been no more of an obstacle to 
them than chariots of straw. But 
although on a former occasion, Josh. 
11. 4-9, they had seen how complete 
was the victory which Joshua, rely- 
ing upon God, had obtained over 
these engines of war, yet now they 
weakly suffer their fears to prevail 
over their faith, and instead of trust- 
ing God under apparent disadvan- 
tages, they meanly withdraw their 
forces, when one bold stroke would 
have completed their victories. So 
with believers, when they view out- 
ward difficulties with the eye of 



IS 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1425. 



20 z And they gave Hebron 
unto Caleb, as Moses said : and 
he expelled thence the three 
sons of Anak. 

21 a And the children of Ben- 
jamin did not drive out the Je- 

z Num. 14. 24. Deut. 1. 36. Josli. 14. 9, 

13. and 15. 13, 14. a See Josh. 15. 63, an I 
18. 28. 

sense, and forget the almighty power 
of God ; their hearts grow discour- 
aged, their expectations feeble, and 
their attempts timid and wavering ; 
and then no wonder they do not pros- 
per, for in proportion to our faith 
will be our vigor, zeal, and success. 
The Chal. paraphrast renders the 
verse ; ! And the Word of Jehovah 
was in the support of the house of 
Judah, and they extirpated the in- 
habitants of the mountains ; but 
afterwards, when they sinned, they 
were not able to extirpate the inhab- 
itants of the plain country, because 
they had chariots of iron.' 

20. And they gave Hebron unto Ca- 
leb , &c. We have little doubt that 
the true design of inserting this verse 
in this connexion is lost sight of. by 
the present mode of rendering. Let 
the verb be translated in the pluper- 
fect tense, ' had given,' and the drift 
is obvious. It is as if the writer had 
said, ' Although they had some time 
before given Hebron to Caleb, and 
he had expelled thence the three gi- 
gantic sons of Anak, who were deem- 
ed the most formidable and invinci- 
ble of all the old inhabitants of Ca- 
naan, and though his success ought 
to have been regarded as a pledge 
and earnest of their own, let the op- 
posing power have been wiiat it 
might, yet notwithstanding this pre- 
cedent, they ignobly failed in the 



busites that inhabited Jerusalem ; 
but the Jebusites dwell with the 
children of Benjamin in Jerusa- 
lem unto this day. 

22 And the house of Joseph, 
they also went up against Beth- 
el : b and the Lord was with 
them. 

b ver. 19. 



achievement of a conquest equally 
easy.' Understood in this sense, the 
words, instead of being an unmeaning 
repetition of an incident frequently 
mentioned before, are in fact a tacit 
but severe rebuke of the cowardice 
and pusillanimity of the naiion. 

21. The children of Benjamin did 
not drive out the Jebusites. Jerusa- 
lem was situated partly in the tribe 
of Judah, and partly in that of Ben- 
jamin ; the northern part belonging 
to the latter tribe, the southern to the 
former. This will account for the 
fact, that what is here said of Ben- 
jamin, is, in Josh. 15 63, said of Ju- 
dah. It was owing to the most cul- 
pable remissness on the part of the 
tribe of Benjamin that these Jebu- 
sites were not expelled from their 
strong-hold. As the Jebusites dwelt 
in Jerusalem till the days of David, 
and the author of this book states 
them to have been in possession of 
Jerusalem when he wrote, therefore 
this book was certainly written before 
the reign of David, or before the 
date of his capture of that part of the 
city. 

22. The house of Joseph — went up. 
That is, the tribe of Ephraim, as ap- 
pears from the contrary affirmation 

respecting Manasseh. IT The Lord 

was with them. Another mode of 
saying that they were eminently suc- 
cessful in the expedition. The pre- 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER I. 



19 



23 And the house of Joseph 
c sent to descry Beth-el. Now the 
name of the city before was d Luz. 

24 And the spies saw a man 
come forth out of the city, and 
they said unto him, Show us, 
we pray thee, the entrance into 

c Josh. 2. 1, and 7. 2. ch. 18. 2. d Gen. 
23. 19. 



sence of God with us in our conflicts 
is the strongest assurance of triumph. 
Chal. ' The Word of the Lord was 
their Helper;' i. e. Christ. 

23. Sent to descry Bethel. Heb. 
1 sent to descry, or explore in Bethel.' 
That is, in the region or tract imme- 
diately surrounding the city. The 
primary sense of the original is to 
make a circuit, especially with a view 
to spy, explore, or reconnoitre. From 
this the native import of the word, 
and from the term made use of in 
the next verse to designate the per- 
sons in question, there is little doubt 
that the language implies the con- 
stant employment of a number of per- 
sons in this service, their being ap- 
poin:ed to keep steadily on the vtatch. 
We caunot otherwise account for the 

use of the particle ' in.' IT Luz. 

See on Gen. 28. 19. 

21. And the spies saw a man, &c. 
Heb. d^EHDil hashshomerim, the 
guards, the watchmen ; implying 
that there was a stationary vjatch 
placed in the vicinity of the city to 
observe its movements, to note if any 
came out, and to apprehend them. 

IT Show us — the entrance into the 

city. Not the gate, the common 
avenue, which there could be no 
difficulty in finding, but some weak 
point, where an entrance could be 
effected with least danger and diffi- 
culty. IT We will show thee mercy. 



the city, and e we will show thee 
mercy. 
25 And when he showed them 
the entrance into the city, they 
smote the city with the edge of 
the sword : but they let go the 
man and all his family. 

e Josh. 2. 12, 14. 

This confirms the opinion that the Is- 
raelites might spare the lives of such 
Canaanites as either submitted to 
become bondmen and renounced 
idolatry, or emigrated into other re- 
gions, as was the case with this in- 
dividual and his family. See on 
Josh. 11. 19. 

25. And when he showed them the en- 
trance, &c. We do not feel prepar- 
ed with Adam Clarke to pronounce 
the conduct of this man ' execrable, 
taken in whatever light we choose,' 
without knowing more of the real 
motives by which he was actuated 
in giving the intelligence he did. It 
is possible he might have done it 
from the conviction that ' the Lord 
was with them,' and that by hi 5 gift 
the land was theirs of right, and then 
the same reasons which justified Ra- 
hab in entertaining those whom she 
knew to be the enemies of her coun- 
try, but the friends of God, would 
justify him. Yet the fact that he did 
not, when set at liberty, like Rahab, 
unite his interests with the worship- 
pers of Jehovah, but retired to his 
countrymen in another region, ar- 
gues against him, and leads us rather 
to infer, that he was influenced more 
by fear than by faith in acting the 
part of an informer. In that case 
we are not called to pass judgment 
on his conduct at all, but leave him 
in the hands of Him who knows bet- 



20 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1425. 



26 And the man went into the 
land of the Hittites, and built a 
city, and called the name thereof 
Luz : which is the name there- 
of unto this day. 

27 IT Neither did Manasseh 
drive out the inhabitants o/Beih- 
shean and her towns, nor Taanach 
and her towns, nor the inhabitants 
of Dor and her towns, nor the 
inhabitants of Ibleam and her 
towns, nor the inhabitants of 
Megiddo and her towns ; but 
the Canaanites would dwell in 
that land. 

28 And it came to pass when 
Israel was strong, that they put 

f Josh. 17. 11, 12, 13. 

ter than we do how to discriminate 
between the claims of allegiance to 
one's country and of the principle of 
self-preservation. 

26. Went into the land of the Hit- 
tites. Probably some place without 
the bounds of the promised land, per- 
haps in Arabia, where Josephus 
mentions a city called Lussa (Luz.) 
Antiq. B. 14. ch. 2. The man him- 
self was perhaps a Hitlite, and to 
perpetuate the name of his city, he 
called the new one, which he now 
founded, after the ancient name of 
Bethel. 

27. Neither did Manasseh drive 
out. That is, possess by dispossess- 
ing, the true sense of the original, as 
already remarked, v. 19. On the 
situation of Beth-shean, and the 
other towns recited here, see on Josh. 

17. 11. IT And her towns. Heb. 

n^Tll^a benotheha, her daughters, 
i. e. her dependent places, her adja- 
cent villages. IT The Canaanites 

would dwell in that land. On this 



the Canaanites to tribute, and 
did not utterly drive them out. 

29 IF -Neither did Ephraim 
drive out the Canaanites that 
dwelt in Gezer ; but the Canaan- 
ites dwelt in Gezer among them. 

30 IF Neither did Zebulun drive 
out the inhabitants of Kitron, 
nor the h inhabitants of Nahalol; 
but the Canaanites dwelt among 
them, and became tributaries. 

31 11 'Neither did Asher drive 
out the inhabitants of Accho, 
nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor 
of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of 
Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of 
Rehob : 

g Josh. 16. 10. 1 Kings 9. 16. h Josh. 19. 
15. iJosh. 19. 24-30. 



remarkable and very expressive 
phraseology, see on Josh. 17. 12. 

28. When Israel was strong. &c. 
The fact of their ability aggravated 
the crime of their neglect, and it is 
probably with a view to intimate 
this, that the circumstance of their 
becoming strong is mentioned. Thus 
their sin prepared its own punish- 
ment, and the love of present ease 
became the source of perpetual dis- 
quiet in after times. Thus shall we 
ever fare by negleciing present op- 
portunities, through sinful self-in- 
dulgence and failing to bring under 
our enemies when they are in our 
power. See on Josh. 17. 13. 

29. The Canaanites dwell among 
them. Intimating, perhaps, that they 
allowed them a quiet settlement and 
indulged them in the privileges of an 
unconquered people, not even mak- 
ing them tributary. 

32. The Asherites dwelt among the 
Canaanites. As it is not usual to say 
of a larger number that it dwells 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER II. 



21 



32 But the Asherites k dwelt 
among the Canaanites, the in- 
habitants of the land : for they 
did not drive them out. 

33 ' Neither did Naphtali drive 
out the inhabitants of Beth-she- 
mesh, nor the inhabitants of 
Beth-anath; but he m dwelt 
among the Canaanites, the in- 
habitants of the land : neverthe- 
less, the inhabitants of Beth-she- 
mesh and of Beth-anath "became 
tributaries unto them. 

34 And the Amorites forced 
the children of Dan into the 
mountain : for they would not 



k p s . 106. 34, 35. l Josh. 19. 
n ver. 30. 



m ver. 32. 



among a smaller, the inference in 
regard to Asher and Naphtali is, 
that they expelled comparatively but 
few of the Canaanites, leaving them 
in fact a majority of the population. 
With most of the other tribes, the 
case appears, for a considerable time 
at least, to have been different. See 
on ch. 3. 5. 

34. The Amorites forced the child- 
ren of Dan into the mountain. That 
is, into the mountainous parts of 

their lot. IT Would not suffer them 

to come down to the valley. To the 
lower country, or the plains, proba- 
bly by reason of their iron chariots. 

35. Would dwell in mount Heres, 
&e. Not content with the posses- 
sion of the valleys, they in three in- 
stances at least made themselves for 
a while masters of the mountains, 
but this portion of them, by the sea- 
sonable assistance of the descendants 
of Joseph, were checked in their pro- 
gress, confined within narrower lim- 
its, and compelled to pay tribute. 
But the Danites. as a whole, were 



suffer them to come down to 
the valley : 

35 But the Amorites would 
dw^ell in mount Heres °in Aija- 
lon, and Shaalbim : yet the 
hand of the house of Joseph 
prevailed, so that they became 
tributaries. 

36 And the coast of the Amo- 
rites was p from the going up to 
Akrabbim, from the rock, and 
upward 



A 



CHAPTER II. 
ND an angel of the Lord 
came up from Gilgal a to 

o Josh. 19. 42. p Num. 34. 4. Josh. 15. 3. 

a ver. 5. 

so pressed and straitened by these 
Amoritish hordes, that they were 
finally induced to enlarge their pos- 
sessions by seeking new quarters in. 
a remote part of the land, ch. 18. 1 ; 
Josh. 19. 47. 

36. And the coast of the Amorites 
was, &c. That is, the territory, the 
country occupied. The scope of this 
verse seems to be to intimate that 
it was not surprising that the Amo- 
rites were such a formidable enemy 
to Israel, when it is considered that 
they were a powerful and numerous 
race, inhabiting a territory that ex- 
tended from the southern limits of 
Canaan (Akrabbim, Josh. 15. 3), 
and even from beyond the city of the 
Rock (Petra), northwest-ward as far 
as to Mount Heres. 



CHAPTER II. 

1. An angel of the Lord. As the 
word ' angel,' in its primary import, 
is a term of office equivalent to mes- 
senger, the Jews for the most part 
are of the opinion that it here de- 



22 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1425. 



Bochim, and said, I made you 
to go up out of Egypt, and have 

notes a prophet sent by God as a 
messenger, and that messenger they 
suppose to have been Phinehas, the 
high-priest, who was commissioned 
on this occasion to deliver the ensu- 
ing solemn reproof to Israel. This 
is indeed possible, but the more pro- 
bable opinion we take to be, that it 
was neither a human prophet nor a 
created angel, but the Son of God 
himself, he who is so frequently 
styled, in the Scriptures, the ' Angel 
of the covenant.' The evidence of 
this is found in what he immediately 
goes on to say of himself; — ' I made 
you to go up out of Egypt,' &c. 
Who but Jehovah himself could or 
would adopt such language as this 1 
It was not a creature that brought 
the Israelites out of Egypt ; but Je- 
hovah. It was not a creature that 
made a covenant with them ; but 
Jehovah. It was not a creature to 
whom they were accountable for 
their disobedience, and whose dis- 
pleasure they had so much reason to 
dread ; but Jehovah. As to the cir- 
cumstance of his being said to ' come 
up' from Gilgal, which is supposed 
to militate against this interpreta- 
tion, it rather confirms it ; for it was 
in Gilgal, near to Jericho, that this 
same divine person had appeared to 
Joshua as an armed warrior. That 
he was Jehovah cannot be doubted, 
because he suffered Joshua to wor- 
ship him, and even commanded him 
to put off his shoes from his feet, in- 
asmuch as the ground on which he 
stood was, by reason of his presence, 
rendered holy. In his conversation 
with Joshua he had called himself 
the { Captain of the Lord's host,' and 



brought you unto the land which 
I sware unto your fathers ; and 



therefore there was a particular pro- 
priety in his appearing now to the 
people, to inquire, Why they had not 
carried his orders into effect 1 and 
to threaten them that he would fight 
for them no longer. Besides, at Gil- 
gal the people had renewed the or- 
dinance of circumcision and the 
passover, in which they had conse- 
crated themselves to God afresh, and 
engaged to serve him as his redeemed 
people. In coming therefore as from 
Gilgal, the Angel upbraided them 
with their base ingratitude, reminded 
them of their solemn engagements, 
and humbled them the more for their 

violation of them. IF To Bochim. 

Heb. ' the weepers.' Gr. KXauO/zou-es, 
bewailings; so called by anticipation 
from the weeping and lamentation, 
v. 8, that took place there. Where 
Bochim was situated we are not 
elsewhere informed, and the proba- 
bility is, that the place was in reality 
no other than Shiloh, where the peo- 
ple were now assembled, v. 4, on one 
of their solemn festivals ; for it ap- 
pears, v. 5, that the sacrifices were 
offered on the occasion, and we know 
that, as a general rule, sacrifices 
were not offered except where the 
tabernacle and altar were fixed, and 
this, at the present time was at Shi- 
loh. As to the time when the events 
recorded, v. 1-11, took place, it was 
doubtless subsequent to the death of 
Joshua, though the precise date of 
it cannot now be ascertained. If in 
Joshua's time they had been guilty 
of the gross delinquency here laid to 
their charge, he would hardly have 
failed to reprove them for it, or have 
said, Josh. 23. 8, that they had ' cleav- 



B. C. 1425.] 



CHAPTER II. 



23 



b I said, I will never break my 
covenant with you. 

2 And c ye shall make no league 
with the inhabitants of this land ; 
d ye shall throw down their al- 
tars : e but ye have not obeyed 
my voice : why have ye done 
this ? 

3 Wherefore I also said, I will 

b Gen. 17. 7. c Deut. 7. 2. d Dout. 12. 3. 
ever. iO. Ps. 106.34. 



ed unto the Lord their God unto that 
day.' The reason for the mention 
of Joshua's dismission of the people 
beinginserted in this immediate con- 
nection, will be given in our remarks 

on v. 0. IF I said, I will never 

break my covenant Provided you 
are true and faithful to yours. The 
first breach of covenant shall never 
be laid to my charge. 

2. Ye shall make no league, &c. 
The letter of this passage is too plain 
to need remark, but the spirit of it 
in its application to the Christian Is- 
rael, merits our most serious regard. 
It teaches the danger of indecision 
and supineness in prosecuting our 
Christian warfare. The command 
to every follower of Christ is, to 
make no league with oar spiritual 
enemies. Our corrupt affections and 
lusts are not to be spared. It is not 
sufficient to make them pay tribute ; 
we must crucify and slay them ; we 
must show them no mercy ; our ha- 
tred of them must be irreconcileable 
and incessant. 

3. WJierefore I also said. I in- 
wardly purposed and resolved. On 
this sense of the word 'say,' see on 
ch. 22. 33. Or with several of the 
versions, it may be rendered in the 

present, ' I say, I declare.' IT As 

thorns in your sides. Se? Num. 33. 



not drive them out from before 
you; but they shall be f as 
thorns in your sides, and fi their 
gods shall be a h snare unto you. 
4 And it came to pass, when 
the angel of the Lord spake 
these words unto all the child- 
ren of Israel, that the people 
lifted up their voice, and wept 

f Josh. 23. 13. g ch. 3. 6. h Exod. 23. 33, 
and 34. 12. Di?ut. 7. 16. Ps. 106. 36. 



55 ; Josh. 23. 13. IT Their gods 

shall be a snare unto you. Chald. 
'their abominations.' They will 
prove an enticement to you, to en- 
tangle you in idolatry and so effect 
your ruin. 

4. The people lifted up their voice 
and wept. For a time, at least, they 
were deeply affected with a sense of 
their transgressions. They "lifted 
up their voice both in confession of 
sin and deprecation of punishment. 
And have toe not equal occasion to 
weep, whether we consider our sin 
or our punishment 1 Is not the spar- 
ing of inveterate lusts as wicked as 
sparing the devoted Canaan ites \ 
Does it not betray an equal want of 
reverence for God, of love to his 
name, of zeal for his honor 1 Let 
us hear then the voice that proclaims 
our duty; 'Be afflicted and mourn 
and weep, let your laughter be turn- 
ed into mourning, and your joy into 
heaviness; humble yourselves under 
the mighty hand of God, and he shall 
lift you up.' But while we imitate 
the humiliation of the Israelites on 
this occasion, let us be careful to 
bring forth fruits more meet for re- 
pentance than did they in their sub- 
sequent conduct. For though they 
now showed signs of deep abase- 
ment and sorrow of spirit, yet we do 



24 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1444. 



5 And they called the name 
of that place Bochim : and they 
sacrificed there unto the Lord. 

6 IT And when i Joshua had let 
the people go, the children of 
Israel went every man unto his 
inheritance to possess the land. 

not find, from the ensuing history, 
that any general or permanent re- 
formation took place; though they 
now relented, they soon relapsed, 
and involved themselves afresh and 
still more deeply in the guilt of de- 
fection and idolatry. ' Many are 
melted under the word, that harden 
again before they are cast in a new 
mould.' Henry. 

5. They sacrificed there unto the 
Lord. They had recourse to the 
blood of sprinkling for the remission 
of their sin. Though their weeping 
was very general and very bitter, so 
much so as to give a name to the 
place, yet they did not hope to pacify 
their offended God with tears. 
They knew that an atonement was 
necessary, and they therefore sought 
him in his appointed way. Would 
that we might learn from them! 
Humiliation is necessary, but not 
sufficient. Tears, even if they were 
to flow in rivers, could never wash 
away sin. The blood of atonement 
is indispensable, without which there 
is no remission. Nor should the 
fact be lost sight of here, that the 
sin laid to the charge of Israel was 
not of commission, but of omission ; 
not some flagrant enormity, but a 
lukewarmness and neglect of duty. 
Yet they saw their need of a sacri- 
fice to atone for that. In like man- 
ner, though we should have no guilt 
imputed to us but that of omission 
and defect, yet must we apply to the 



7 k And the people served the 
Lord all the days of Joshua, and 
all the days of the elders that 
outlived Joshua, who had seen 
all the great works of the Lord, 
that he did for Israel. 

i Josh. 22. 6. and 24. 28. k Josh. 24. 31. 



blood of sprinkling, and seek for 
pardon through that one sacrifice 
offered for us upon the cross. 

6. WJien Joshua had let the people 
go. This passage, v. 6-9, has al- 
ready occurred in nearly the same 
words in Josh. 24. 29-31. It seems 
to be repeated here as a suitable pre- 
liminary to the ensuing account of 
their degeneracy and apostasy. The 
angel had foretold that the Canaan- 
ites and their idols would be a snare 
to Israel. The writer is now about 
to show that this prediction was ac- 
tually fulfilled, and in order to that 
he turns back and takes a brief re- 
trospect of some previous incidents 
in their history which, by contrast, 
would set the enormity of their 
transgressions in a still more striking 
point of view. This is according to 
the common usage of the sacred 
writers, who, in their narrations, go 
more by the relation of events to each 
other, than by their strict chronologi- 
cal order. After being so happily 
fixed in their several inheritances 
and having commenced their settle- 
ment in Canaan under such favora- 
ble auspices, it greatly aggravated 
their sin, that they should afterwards 
have fallen away from God, and so 
grievously disappointed the promise 
which their fair beginnings held out. 

7. All the days of the elders thai 
outlived Joshua. Heb. ' that pro- 
longed their days after Joshua.' As 
these elders might some of them 



B. C. 1426.] 



CHAPTER II. 



25 



S And 'Joshua the son of Nun, 
the servant of the Lord, died, 
being an hundred and ten years 
old. 

9 ro And they buried him in the 
border of his inheritance in 
n Timnath-heres, in the mount 
of Ephraim, on the north side 
of the hill Gaash. 

10 And also all that generation 
were gathered unto their fathers : 

l Josh. 24. 29. m Josh. 24. 30. n Josh. 19. 
60, and 24 30. o Exod 5. 2. 1 Sam. 2. 12. 
1 Chron. 28. 9. Jcr. 9. 3, and 22. 16. Gal. 
4. 8. 2 Thess. 1. 8. Tit. 1. 16. 

have lived several years after Josh- 
ua's decease, this term should be de- 
ducted from the whole period of Is- 
rael's idolatries recorded in this 
book. 

9. Buried him — in Timnatk-hercs. 
This place is called, in Josh. 24. 30, 
' TimnaAh-serah.' By transposing 
the letters of the last word, it be- 
comes, as here, ' Heres,' which sig- 
nifies the sun, and it is not improba- 
ble, as the Jews imagine, that it 
was so called b} r reason of some 
memorial, connected with hi? sepul- 
chre, of the sun's miraculously stand- 
ing still at his command. 

10. Which knew not the Lord. Had 
no practical or experimental know- 
ledge of him ; no deep or lively im- 
pression of his goodness ; no affec- 
tionate, grateful, or devout sense of 
the wondrous manifestations of his 
power in their behalf. See on Ex. 
1.8. 

11. Served Baalim. This word, 
the* plural of 'Baal,' signifies lords. 
Their false gods the Canaanites 
considered as supernatural rulers or 
governors, each having his peculiar 
district and office. Bnt when they 
wished to express a particular 



and there arose another genera- 
tion after them, which "knew 
not the Lord, nor yet the works 
which he had done for Israel. 

1 1 TT And the children of Israel 
did evil in the sight of the Lord, 
and served Baalim : 

12 And they p forsook the 
Lord God of their fathers, 
which brought them out of the 
land of Egypt, and followed 
q other gods, of the gods of the 
people that were round about 

P Deut. 31. 16. q Deut. 6. 14. 



' Baal,' or lord, they usually added 
some distinctive epithet, as Baal- 
zephon, Baal-pcor, Baal-zebub, &c. 
The pi. is here used to intimate that 
these imaginary deities were various, 
and that the worship of the Israel- 
ites, like that of the Canaanites, was 
not confined to any one of them. 
Lords many and gods many had 
dominion over them. From this 
verse onwards to the end of the 
chapter, the writer's drift seems to 
be to give in brief terms a summary 
or compend of the whole book. It 
is a general and condensed state- 
ment of the leading features of the 
history of Israel, during the period 
of the Judges, w r hich in the ensuing 
chapters is expanded into the various 
details of oppression and deliverance 
which are so briefly touched upon in 
these verses. This is according to 
the common usage of the sacred 
writers, and we have no doubt that 
the more minute is the reader's in- 
spection of the structure of the book, 
the more plausible will this view of 
the subject appear. 

12, And they forsook the Lord God. 
Rather, 'for they forsook,' &c, a 
mere enlargement in its more mi- 



26 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406 



them, and r bowed themselves 
unto them, and provoked the 
Lord to anger. 

13 And they forsook the Lord, 
8 and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 

14 IF l And the anger of the 
Lord was hot against Israel, and 
he u delivered them into the 
hands of spoilers that spoiled 

r Exod 20. 5. 8 ch. 3. 7, and 10. 6. Ps. 
106. 36. t ch. 3. 8. Ps. 106. 40, 41. 42. u 2 
Kings 17. 20. 



nute particulars of the general fact 
stated in the preceding verse. Chald. 
' they forsook the worship of the Lord 
God,' as they that forsake the wor- 
ship of God, do in effect forsake God 
himself. 

13. Served Baal and, Ashtaroth. 
Ashtaroth, like Baalim above, is of 
the plural number, and is probably 
here used as a general name for all 
the female deities of these nations, 
as Baal or Baalim is of the male. 
The sing. Ashtereth (Astarte) is the 
name of the Syrian Venus, who was 
worshipped with the most revolting 
and abominable rites. It is supposed 
that the moon was worshipped under 
this name, as was the sun under that 
of Baal. 

14. Into the hands of spoilers. Rob- 
bers, marauders, plundering parties 
of the Canaanites, who committed 
depredations upon their cattle, flocks, 
crops, &c. The word may also be ! 
understood in a still fuller sense as 
equivalent to oppressors, those who 
captured not their property only, but 
themselves, reducing them to servi- 
tude, or at least compelling them to 

pay tribute. HSold them. To sell, 

is to alienate the possession of any 
thing for a valuable consideration. 
The term is used in the Scriptures, 
however, without the annexed idea 



them, and x he sold them into 
the hands of their enemies round 
about, so that they y could not 
any longer stand before theii 
enemies. 

15 Whithersoever they went 
out, the hand of the Lord was 



against them for evil, 



the 



Lord had said, and z as the Lord 

x ch. 3. 8, and 4. 2. Ps. 44. 12. Isai. 

50. 1. y Lev. 26. 37. Josh. 7. 12. 13. z Lev. 
26 Deut. 28. 



of an equivalent. God is said to 
' sell ' his disobedient people, when 
he delivers them up into the hands of 
their enemies to be dealt with as they 
may see fit, when he puts them out of 
his own hand, as it were, withholds 
his protection, and has nothing more 
to do with them as the objects of his 
peculiar protection. It is a term, 
therefore, emphatically expressive of 
the divine displeasure, the most fear- 
ful judgment in its consequences 
that can befal a nation or an indi- 
vidual. Comp. ch. 3. 8, and 4 8; 
Deut. 32. 30 ; Ps. 44. 13 ; Is. 50. 1. 

15. Whithersoever they went out. 
Whatsoever they undertook. Heb. 
' in everything to which they went 
forth.' Not only in their military 
expeditions . against their enemies, 
but in whatever undertaking they 
engaged at home, they were still 
baffled and disappointed, and every 
thing went against them. The doing 
of any kind of business is frequently 
expressed in Hebrew by the phrase, 
1 going out,' or ' coming in.' Thus, 
Deut. 28. 6, 'Blessed shalt thou be 
when thou comest in, and blessed 
shalt thou be when thou goest out;' 
i. e. in all thine undertakings and 
employments, in the whole course 
and current of thine affairs. Comp. 
Ps. 121. 8. IT As the Lord had 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER II. 



27 



had sworn unto them : and they 
were greatly distressed. 

16 IT Nevertheless a the Lord 
raised up judges, which deliver- 
ed them out of the hand of those 
that spoiled them. 

17 And yet they would not 
hearken unto their judges, but 
the} T b went a whoring after 
other gods, and bowed them- 
selves unto them : they turned 
quickly out of the way which 
their fathers walked in, obeying 
the commandments of the Lord ; 
bat they did not s\>. 

IS And when the Lord raised 
them up judges, then c the Lord 

a ch. 3. 9, 10 15. 1 Sam. 12. 11. Acts 13. 
20- b Exod. 34. 15, 1(5. Lev. 17. 7. 

said, &.c. Particular reference is 
had to Lev. 26. 15-17; Dent. 23.25; 
where these very judgments are ex- 
pressly denounced against them in 
case they should thus apostatize. 

16. The Lord raised up judges. 
That is, by the secret prompting and 
inspiration of his spirit, working upon 
the hearts of particular individuals, 
in view of the sufferings and calami- 
ties of the people, and inciting them, 
like Moses in Egypt, to aim at effect- 
ing their deliverance. This inward 
impulse Mas usually, perhaps always, 
accompanied by an express call and 
command to undertake the work, and 
by some outward designation which 
testified to the people the divine elec- 
tion ; such for the most part as the 
display of some signal act of hero- 
ism, the performance of some mar- 
vellous or miraculous exploit, as in 
the cases of Shamgar, Gideon : Sam- 
son, &c. On the import of the word 
'judges 7 in this book, see Introduc- 
tion. 



was with the judge, and deliv- 
ered them out of the hand of 
their enemies all the days of the 
judge : ( d for it repented the 
Lord because of their groanings 
by reason of them that oppressed 
them and vexed them.) 

1 9 And it came to pass, e when 
the judge was dead, that they 
returned, and corrupted them- 
selves more than their fathers, 
in following other gods to serve 
them, and to bow down unto 
them ; they ceased not from 
their own doings, nor from their 
stubborn way. 

c Josh. 1.5. J See Gen. 6. 6. Deut. 32. 

36. Ps. 10G. 44, 45. e ch. 3. 12, and 4. 1, 
and 8. 33. 

17. Would not hearken unto their 

judges. Would not obey them. 

M But went, &c. By the covenant 
entered into at mount Sinai, Ex. 19. 
6, the people of Israel were virtually 
married unto God, so that every in- 
stance of idolatry was a breach of 
that solemn compact. The worship 
of idols was accounted and spoken 
of as spiritual adultery, and from 
the nature of the rites accompanying 
these idolatrous practices, the term 
was often more than metaphorically 
proper. 

18. It repented the Lord. He alter- 
ed the course of his providence, act- 
ed as if he repented. See on Gen 6. 
6, 7; Deut. 32. 36. 

19. They ceased not from their own 
doings. Heb. ' they let nothing fall 
from their doings.' They abated, 
they relaxed nothing of their evil 
practices. IT Nor from their stub- 
born way. Heb. iTZJpn WH darkam, 
hakkashah, their hard way. Hard, 
as proceeding from a hard and per- 



28 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



20 IF f And the anger of the 
Lord was hot against Israel ; 
and he said, Because that this 
people hath e transgressed my 
covenant which I commanded 
their fathers, and have not heark- 
ened unto my voice ; 

21 b I also will not henceforth 
drive out any from before them 
of the nations which Joshua left 
when he died. 

f ver. 14. g Josh. 23. 16. i> Josh. 23. 13. 

verse heart; hard, in the sense of 
being stubbornly persisted in; and 
hard or grievous in its consequences. 
It is the term applied to the obstinate 
and intractable conduct of Pharaoh. 

20. And the anger of the Lord was 
kindled, &c. From this verse to the 
end of the chapter, the narrative is 
probably to be considered merely as 
a repetition in substance of what is 
affirmed by the Angel, v. 1-3. It is 
a more full and detailed statement 
of the reasons for the foregoing ap- 
pearance of the divine messenger, 
threatening them with the judgments 
of heaven for their disobedience. No- 
thing is more common than such 
transpositions in the order of the in- 
spired record. The effect is first men- 
tioned, and the cause afterwards. 

21. Will not henceforth drive out, 
&c. I will not while you continue 
in your stubborn way. The pro- 
mises of God to expel the Canaanifes 
were upon condition of their obedi- 
ence. 

22. That through them I may prove 
Israel. Not for his own satisfaction, 
but that they themselves might be 
made better acquainted with the 
plague of their own hearts, and that 
the righteous judgments of God 
might thus approve themselves to the 



22 ' That through them I may 
k prove Israel, whether they will 
keep the way of the Lord to 
walk therein, as their fathers 
did keep it, or not. 

23 Therefore the Lord left 
those nations, without driving 
them out hastily, neither de- 
livered he them into the hand 
of Joshua. 

i ch. 3. 1, 4. k Deut. 8. 2, 16, and 13. 3. 



consciences of all who should either 
experience, or witness, or hear of 
them. The Most High often orders 
his providence on the principle of a 
father or master who distrusts the 
fidelity of his son or servant, and 
places them in such circumstances 
that they may, by their good or evil 
conduct, justify his suspicions, or 
give him proofs of their being ground- 
less. It is implied, however, that 
these nations, in case the Israelites 
stood not the test, should be not only 
trials or ordeals to them, but also 
scourges and instruments of wrath. 

IT As their fathers did keep it. 

That is, those who lived in the days 
of Joshua, and the elders who over- 
lived him. 

23. Therefore the Lord left, &c. 
Or, Heb. ' suffered.' It is not to be 
understood that there was any abso- 
lute necessity for this delay in expell- 
ing the Canaanites, but as God fore- 
saw the remissness of his people in 
accomplishing this work, he saw fit 
in his providence to overrule it to a 
wise and useful result. In like man- 
ner he overrules the wickedness of 
all the wicked in the universe, and 
causes it to redound to the good of 
the whole and his own glory, in the 
view of all intelligent creatures. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER III. 



29 



CHAPTER III. 

NOW these are a the nations 
which the Lord left, to 
prove Israel by them, (even as 
many of Israel as had not known 
all the wars of Canaan ; 
2 Only that the generations of 

a ch. 2. 21, 22. 



CHAPTER III. 

1. New these are the nations, &c. 
The nations left to prove the Israel- 
ites were the five lordships or satra- 
pies of the Philistines, who gave 
them more trouble than any of the 
rest— particularly in the latter days 
of the judges — the Sidonians, Ca- 
naanites. and the Hivites that dwelt 

about Mount Lebanon. ^As many 

— as had not known, &c. These 
words and those of the ensuing verse, 
included together in the parenthesis, 
however obvious a sense they seem 
to present to the English reader, are 
by no means so easy of explication 
when we turn to the original. The 
first and perhaps most natural im- 
pression as to their meaning is, that 
they are designed to acquaint us with 
another reason which God had for 
leaving these nations in the land, be- 
side that of proving Israel, viz. that 
their posterity might not forget mili- 
tary discipline, but keep themselves 
habituated to those warlike practices 
which would be necessary for their 
protection. This effect would be 
secured by the constant presence of 
an enemy, and therefore God left a 
remnant of the devoted nations to 
prevent his people growing rusty,. if 
we may so say, in the use of arms. 
This wc are not prepared to term an 
erroneous construction, but quite sure 
we are that it is an inadequate one. 
The term ' to know,' must in fair- 
3* 



the children of Israel might 
know to teach them war, at the 
least such as before knew no- 
thing thereof;) 

3 Namely, b five lords of the 
Philistines, and all the Canaan- 
ites, and the Sidonians, and the 

b Josh. 13. 3. 



ness be interpreted according to its 
usual Scriptural import, which is to 
have not merely an intellectual, but 
an experimental knowledge of any 
thing. By those therefore who ' had 
not known all the wars of Canaan/ 
we understand those who had not 
with confiding faith, with lively zeal, 
and from a prompt and grateful 
spirit of obedience, entered into and 
persevered in those conflicts with the 
Canaanites which God had enjoined. 
As they had grossly failed in their 
duty in this respect, and had not 
1 known ' these wars as they should 
have done, their children, according 
to the righteous economy of Provi- 
dence, were appointed to reap the 
bitter fruits of their neglect. They 
were to know to their cost, to be 
taught by sad experience, the trouble, 
vexation, and annoyance that should 
come upon the successive genera- 
tions descended from those who, by 
their culpable remissness, had so 
righteously incurred this afflictive 
judgment. This we suppose to be 
the true import of the original, to 
which no translation can do full jus- 
tice. But we may learn from it that 
the neglect of one generation to dis- 
charge its appropriate duties, never 
fails to burden their successors with, 
the penalty of their remissness. 

3. Five lords. Five lordships, 
principalities, or satrapies, as it is 
rendered by the Seventy. See on 



30 



JUDGES. 



[B. U. 1406. 



Hivites that dwelt in mount 
Lebanon, from mount Baal-her- 
mon unto the entering in of 
Hamath. 

4 c And they were to prove 
Israel by them, to know whether 
they would hearken unto the 
commandments of the Lord, 
which he commanded their fa- 
thers by the hand of Moses. 

5 IT d And the children of Is- 

c ch. 2. 22. <1 Ps. 106. 35. 



Josh. 13. 3. IT All the Canaanites 

and the Zidonians, &c. Rather, • all 
the Canaanites, even the Zidonians,' 
&c. That portion of the Canaanites 
seems to be intended who are other- 
wise styled Phoenicians, whose capi- 
tal city was Zidon, so called from 
Zidon the son of Canaan, Gen. 10. 
15, and who were never entirely 

subdued by the Israelites. IT From 

mount Baal-Hermon. A part of 
Antilibanus, lying near the sources 
of the Jordan. 

4. And they were to prove Israel. 
Heb. ' and they were made to be for 
a trial or proof of Israel ;' expressive 
not so strictly of the design of their 
being left, which is stated v. 1, as of 
the actual event. The result corres- 
ponded with the divine prescience 
and purposes. ' God in his revealed 
will had commanded (doomed) the 
Canaanites to slaughter, yet secretly 
gives over Israel to a toleration of 
some Canaanites, for their own pun- 
ishment. He hath bidden us cleanse 
our hearts of all our corruptions ; 
yet he will permit some of these 
thorns still in our sides for exercise, 
for humiliation. If we could lay 
violent hands on our sins, our souls 
should have peace ; now our indul- 
gence costs us many stripes and 



rael dwelt among the Canaan- 
ites, Hittites, and Amorites, and 
Perizzites, and Hivites, and 
Jebusites : 

6 And e they took their daugh- 
ters to be their wives, and gave 
their daughters to their sons, 
and served their gods. 

7 f And the children of Israel 
did evil in the sight of the Lord, 
and forgat the Lord their God, 

e Exod. 34. 16. Deut. 7. 3. f ch. 2. 11. 



many tears.' Bp. Hall. TI To know. 

That is, to make known, to afford to 
themselves and others experimental 
proof. God himself of course could 
stand in no need of sueh a process 
to ascertain the truth. See on Deut. 
8.2. 

5. Dwelt among the Canaanites. 
Evidently implying that, contrary to 
the command of God, they suffered 
these nations to remain a majority 
in point of numbers, as otherwise 
they could not properly be said to 
dwell among them. See on ch. 1. 32. 

6. Took their daughters — and serv- 
ed their gods. Chal. ' worshipped 
their errors (idols).' The cause and 
the effect brought into immediate 
connexion, in exact accordance with 
what had been long before announc- 
ed, Deut. 7. 3, 4, 'Neither shalt thou 
make marriages with them j thy 
daughter thou shalt not give unto 
his son, nor his daughter shalt thou 
take unto thy son. For they will 
turn away thy son from following 
me, that they may serve other gods ; 
so will the anger of the Lord be 
kindled,' &c. ' In such unequal 
matches there is more reason to fear 
that the bad will corrupt the good, 
th'an to hope the good will reform 
the bad.' Henry. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER III. 



31 



g and served Baalim, and h the 
groves. 

8 IT Therefore the anger of the 
Lord was hot against Israel, and 
he ' sold them into the hand of 
k Chushan-rishathaim king of 

? ch. 2. 13. h Exod. 34. 13. Deut. 16. 21. 
ch. 6. 25. i ch. 2. 14. kHab.3.7. 



7. Forgot the Lord their God. 
1 In complaisance to their new rela- 
tions, they talked of nothing but 
Baalim and the groves, so that by 
degrees they lost the remembrance of 
the true God ; and forgot that there 
•was such a being, and what obligations 
they lay under to him. In nothing 
is the corrupt memory of man more 
treacherous than in this, that it is 
apt to forget God; because he is out 
of sight, he is out of mind ; and here 
begins all the wickedness that is in 
the world ; they have ' perverted 
their way,' for they have ' forgotten 

the Lord their God.' Henry. 

If Served Baalim and the groves. 
Not the groves themselves, but the 
grove-gods, the images or idols 
which were set up in shady groves 
consecrated to their worship. Gese- 
nius however on the original word 
ETniDtt Asheroth, contends with much 
plausibility that it is a proper name 
closely related to Ashiaroth, and 
signifies the statues of Astarte, the 
Syrian Venus or goddess of Fortune, 
one of the most noted of the Phoeni- 
cian deities. This is confirmed by 
nearly all the ancient versions. The 
rendering 'groves' originated with 
the Greek Septuagint, probably from 
the fact of their votaries worshipping 
those images in such retired places. 
From this source the signification of 
groves has crept into most lexicons 
and commentaries of modern times. 

8. Sold them into the hand. Deliv- 



Mesopotamia : and the children 
of Israel served Chushan-risha- 
thaim eight years. 
9 And when the children of 

Israel l cried unto the Lord, the 

l ver. 15. and ch. 4. 3, and 6. 7, and 10. 10. 
1 Sam. 12. 10. Neh. 9. 27. Ps. 22. 5, and 
106. 44, and 107. 13. 19. 



ered them into the hand. See this 
phrase explained, ch. 2. 14. II Chu- 
shan-rishathaim. Rendered by most 
of the ancient versions Chushan, the 
wicked or impious; properly the 
doubly, i e. pre-eminently, wicked. 
The grounds of the appellation, sup- 
posing this to be correct, it is now 
impossible to determine. If Meso- 
potamia. Heb. Aram-Naharaim, 
Syria of the two rivers, i. e. the 
country lying between the rivers Ti- 
gris and Euphrates, thence called 
Mesopotamia, which signifies the 
midst of rivers. See on Gen. 24. 10. 

It isnowcalled Diarbek. It Served. 

This servitude, as applied to the 
state of subjection to which the Is- 
raelites were oftentimes reduced, 
must be understood with some vari- 
ation of meaning according to cir- 
cumstances; but generally it signi- 
fies the obligation to pay tribute and 
make presents to the conqueror. 
That they were obliged to render 
personal or military' service does 
not appear from the Scriptures ; but 
that they were sometimes subject to 
the most severe and cruel treatment 
is obvious from the whole history. 
It is very probable, that their subjec- 
tion to this distant king was more 
favorable than to the immediately 
neighboring nations, and even to 
nations dwelling in the same land 
with themselves, to which they were 
afterwards reduced. 
9. When the children of Israel 



32 



JUDGED 



[B. 0. 1402. 



Lord m raised up a deliverer to 
the children of Israel, who de- 
livered them, even " Othniel the 
son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger 
brother. 

10 And °the Spirit of the 
Lord came upon him, and he 

m ch. 2. 16. n ch. 1. 13. o See Num. 27. 
18. ch. 6. 34, and 11. 29, and 13; 25, and 14. 
6, 19. 1 Sam. 11. 6. 2 Chron. 15. 1. 

cried. When they uttered, fervent 
prayers coupled with penitent con- 
fessions of their faults, as is to he in- 
ferred from ch. 10. 10, and 15. 16. 

TT Raised up a deliverer. Heb. 

"a savior.' So afterwards, 'who 
delivered,' Heb. ' and saved ;' which 
is more properly we think to be refer- 
red to God than to Othniel. God 
saved or delivered them by Othniel. 
fr Savior,' in this connection, is but 
another name for the ''judges,' who 
were raised up from time to time for 
the deliverance of Israel. Comp. 
2 Kings 13. 5 ; Neh. 9. 27. The 
original for ' raised up,' properly 
signifies stirred up, excited, prompted, 
in consequence of a special divine 
influence exerted upon the individ- 
ual. The phrase is in fact explained 
by the terms employed in the begin- 
ning of the next verse. IT Othniel 

the son of Kenaz. Of whom see Josh. 
15. 16, and Judg. 1. 13. He had 
already signalized his valor in the 
taking of Kirjath-sepher and by his 
experience in war, and the reputa- 
tion he had gained with his country- 
men, was peculiarly qualified to lead 
them successfully against their op- 
pressors. 

10. The Spirit of the Lord came 
upon him. Heb. ' was, or was made 
to be, upon him.' A common ex- 
pression for one's being moved, acted 
upon, and impelled by supernatural 



judged Israel, and went out to 
war: and the Lord delivered 
Chushan - rishathaim king of 
Mesopotamia into his hand ; and 
his hand prevailed against Chu- 
sh an-ris h athaim . 

1 1 And the land had rest forty 
years : and Othniel the son of 
Kenaz died. 



influence to- perform some extraordi- 
nary exploit, or to take the lead in 
some great and important enterprise, 
Chald. *• the spirit of prophecy re- 
mained upon him/ The expression 
implies that he was endowed with 
singular wisdom, fortitude and valor, 
adapting him to the work to which 

he was called. T\ He judged Israel!. 

That is, he not only assumed the 
office of chief magistrate and entered 
upon the work of reforming their 
manners, repressing idolatry, admin- 
istering justice, and reviving reli- 
gion, but also, as appears from the 
ensuing clause, put himself at the 
head of their forces, and in this ca- 
pacity, pleaded and avenged the cause 
of Israel against their oppressors. 
Thus the term is employed Ps. 43. 
1, ' Judge me, O, God, and plead my 
cause against an ungodly nation :' i e. 
judge me by pleading my cause, by 
vindicating me from the aspersions 
and delivering me from the persecu- 
tions of my enemies. Comp. Deut. 
32. 36 ; Ps. 10. 18. 

11. The land had rest forty years. 
Enjoyed prevailing peace, was ex- 
empt from tribute, and was in every 
respect in a tranquil and flourishing 
state, during that period. The forty 
years are perhaps to be dated from 
Othniel's being raised up to judge 
Israel KAnd Othniel— died. * Oth- 
niel had rescued Israel from idolatry 



B. C. 1354.] 



CHAPTER III. 



33 



12 TT p And the children of 
Israel did evil again in the sight 
of the Lord : and the Lord 
strengthened q Eglon the king 
of Moab against Israel, because 
they had done evil in the sight 
of the Lord. 



and servitude ; his life and their in- 
nocence and peace ended together. 
How powerful the presence of one 
good man is in a church or state, is 
best found in his loss. 5 Bp Hall. 
An attentive examination of the 
chronology of this book makes it all 
but absolutely certain that it is some- 
where near to this period that we are 
to refer the idolatry of the Daniles 
and the war with the Benjamites, 
mentioned ch. 17—21. Though, for 
the reasons stated in our Introduction, 
thrown together at the end of the 
book, the events no doubt took place 
either under or before Othniel's ad- 
ministration, who, though a judge, 
was not, as Henry remarks, such a 
king in Israel as to keep men from 
doing what was ' right in their own 
eyes.' 

12. The Lord strengthened Eglon. 
Allowed him to become strong, suf- 
fered his providence to take such a 
course as would result in his becom- 
ing too powerful for the Israelites. 
It was not by positive agency, but by 
sovereign permission, that this result 
took place. The course of God's 
providence often favors the designs 
of his enemies, and they take advan- 
tage of it, while the effect, in Scrip- 
ture style, is attributed to God him- 
self; but it is only as we should say 
that God delivered a vessel, with all 
on board, into the hands of a pirate, 
because he caused the wind to blow 
in a particular direction, of which 



13 And he gathered unto him 
the children of Amnion and 
r Amalek, and went and smote 
Israel, and possessed s the city 
of palm-trees. 



P ch. 2. 19. q 1 Sam. 12. 9. 
ch. 1. 16. 



r ch. 5. 14. 



the pirate took advantage, and cap- 
tured the vessel. The phraseology 
is liable to no just objection when 
rightly understood, and affords a 
clue to the explanation of hundreds 
of passages in the sacred volume. 
' Rather than Israel shall want a 
scourge for their sin, God himself 
shall raise them up an enemy. Mo- 
ab had no quarrel but his own am- 
bition ; but God meant by the .ambi- 
tion of the one party, to punish the 
ambition of the other ; his justice can 
make one sin the executioner of an- 
other, while neither shall look for 
any measure from him but judg- 
ment/ Bp. Hall. 

13. And he gathered. That is, 
God gathered ; in the sense above 
explained. He gathered, by allow- 
ing Eglon to gather, the forces of 
these neighboring tribes, who were 
predisposed by ancient enmity to en- 
ter into the alliance. ^Possessed 

the city of palm-trees. Jericho, or 
rather the site of Jericho, with the 
adjacent territory, as the city itself 
was in ruins. On this site, Eglon 
probably pitched his camp, erected 
fortifications, and if Josephus be 
correct, fixed here his residence. 
His object was undoubtedly to obtain 
command of the fords of the Jordan, 
which would not only open to him 
a free communication with the land 
of Moab, but prevent also the tribes 
on the east and the west of the river 
forming a junction of forces. Ac- 



34 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1336. 



14 So the children of Israel 
1 served Eglon the king of Moab 
eighteen years. 

15 But when the children of 



Deut. 28. 40. 



cordingly the first step taken by 
Ehud, when assured of victory, v. 28, 
was to take possession of these fords, 
and thus cut off the retreat of the 
enemy. 

14. The children of Israel served 
Eglon eighteen years. ' Israel seems 
as born to servitude ; they came from 
their bondage in the land of Egypt, 
to serve in the land of promise. 
They had neglected God, now they 
were neglected of God; their sins 
had made them servants, whom the 
choice of God had made free, yea 
his first-born. Worthy are they to 
serve those men whose false gods 
they had served ; and to serve them 
always in thraldom, whom they 
had once served in idolatry. We 
may not measure the continuance 
of punishment by the time of the 
commission of sin; one minute's sin 
deserves a torment beyond all time.' 
Bp. Hall. 

15. Cried unto the Lord. With 
strong and earnest supplications. 
1 Doubtless Israel was not so insen- 
sible of their own misery, as not to 
complain sooner than the end of 
eighteen years. The first hour they 
sighed for themselves, but now they 
cried unto God. The very purpose 
of affliction is to make us importu- 
nate ; he hears the secret murmurs 
of our grief, yet will not seem to 
hear us, till our cries be loud and 
strong. God sees it best for the peni- 
tent to dwell for the time under their 
sorrows; he sees us sinking all the 
while, yet he lets us alone till we be 



Israel u cried unto the Lord, the 
Lord raised them up a deliver- 
er, Ehud the son of Gera, a 
Benjamite, a man T left-handed : 

u var. 9. Ps. 78. 34. » ch. £0. 16. 



at the bottom ; and when once we 
can say, " Out of the depths have I 
cried unto thee," instantly follows, 
" The Lord heard me." A vehement 
suitor cannot but be heard of God, 
whatsoever he asks. If our pra) r ers 
want success, they want heart ; their 
blessing is according to their vigor.' 

Bp. Hall. IT A man left-handed. 

Heb. ' a man shut or obstructed of 
his right hand ;' i. e. not able readily 
to use it. Chal. ' contracted or im- 
peded in his right hand.' Syr. ' a 
man whose right hand was torpid/ 
The Septuagint renders it an ambi- 
dexter, i. e. one who could use both 
hands alike ; from which the Vul- 
gate, ' who could use either hand as 
a right hand,' for neither of which 
is there any authority in the original. 
The true import of the Heb. un- 
doubtedly is, that through disease, 
injury, or some other infirmity, he 
made little or no use of his right 
hand, but employed his left only, a 
circumstance which would seem to 
render him less fit for war, as he 
must necessarily use his sword some- 
what awkwardly. ' Yet God chose 
this left-handed man to be the man 
of his right hand, whom he would 
" make strong for himself." It was 
God's right hand that gained Israel 
the victory, (Ps. 44. 3,) not the right 
hand of the instruments he employ- 
ed.' Henry. It is remarkable that 
although the name ' Benjamin,' sig- 
nifies the son of the right hand, yet 
as appears, from ch. 20. 16, multi- 
tudes of this tribe were from some 



B. C. 1336/ 



CHAPTER III. 



35 



and by him the children of Israel 
sent a present unto Eglon the 
king of Moab. 

id But Ehud made him a dag- 
ger which had two edges, of a 
cubit length : and he did gird 
it under his raiment upon his 
ri°;ht thi^h. 

cause or other left-handed ; so far 
are men's characters oftentimes from 

corresponding with their names. 

TT Sent a present. Either the tribute- 
money which Eglon had imposed up- 
on the Israelites, or a gratuity over 
and above their ordinary tribute, 
sent to conciliate the favor of the 
lord of Moab, their present master. 
The former we suppose to be the 
most probable interpretation, as the 
original, Mi?icha, repeatedly occurs 
in this sense. Similar exactions on 
the part of the despotic rulers of the 
East continue to be levied upon sub- 
ject provinces to the present day, 
and it is well known that their exor- 
bitant demands of this kind are 
among the principal causes of the 
impoverished state of the oriental 
nations, and of the frequent insur- 
rections that occur among them, rf 
is possible that Eglon's oppressions 
in this way had become so grievous 
to the Israelites, that they could bear 
them no longer, and accordingly in 
their distress groaned out to God for 
deliverance. 

16. Ehud made him a dagger. 
Caused to be made ; just as Joshua, 
ch. 5. 3, is said to have ' made him 
sharp knives,' that is. by the ministry 

of others. IT Of a cubit length. 

The original word ("723 gomed) here 
rendered cubit, is of very doubtful 
signification. As the kindred root in 
Chald. has the import of contracted, 



17 And he brought the present 
unto Eglon king of Moab : and 
Eglon was a very fat man. 

18 And when he had made an 
end to offer the present, he sent 
away the people that bare the 
present. 



Michaelis suggests that it probably 
means an instrument made shorter 
than usual for the purpose intended. 
The Sept. renders it ' of a span 
length,' and most of the versions un- 
derstand it in the same sense. A 
Jewish cubit is nearly two feet 5 a 
span is about eight inches, a much 
more convenient length for a pon- 
iard or stiletto, which would undoubt- 
edly have been the modem name of 

Ehud's instrument. IT Upon his 

right thigh. Whence it could be 
more easily drawn forth by his left 
hand. 

18. Made an end to offer. When 
he had ended all the ceremonies 
which in those days were customary 
in presenting gifts to great men. 

IT The people that bare the present. 

A considerable number of persons 
seems to have been employed on this 
occasion, not so much because the 
quantity or variety of the presents 
required it, as for the sake of eti- 
quette and a somewhat pompous dis- 
play. The Orientals habitually af- 
fect a great parade in presenting their 
gift 5, especially to persons of power 
and distinction. ' Through ostenta- 
tion,' says Maillet, ' they never fail 
to load upon four or fi^e horses what 
might easily be carried on one. In 
like manner as to jewels, trinkets, 
and other things of value, they place 
in fifteen dishes, what a single plate 
would very well hold.' It appears 



36 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1336 



19 But he himself turned 
again w from the quarries that 
were by Gilgal, and said, I have 
a secret errand unto thee, 
king : who said, Keep silence. 

w Josh. 4. 20. 

evident from the next verse that 
Ehud accompanied this party some 
distance on their way homewards 
and then returned himself alone to 
execute, without accomplices, the 
deed which he meditated, and to 
which he was probably impelled by 
a divine prompting. 

19. From the quarries. Heb. 
•Q-fytt pesilim, from the root, ^D2 
pasal, to cut out, or carve, as a sculp- 
tor, whence several of the ancient 
versions understand the word of 
idols, or graven images, by which it 
is generally rendered. It was per- 
haps the place where idolatrous sta- 
tues of stone were cut out of the quar- 
ry and erected as objects of worship 
by the Moabites. This might have 
been done in contempt of the religion 
and worship of the Israelites, and 
the sight of them may have stirred 
up afresh the pious indignation of 
Ehud, and animated him with new 
zeal to accomplish the work upon 
which he was intent. — -IT I have a 
secret errand. Heb. ^STlD ^0.1 debar 
sether, a ivord or thing of concealment, 
of secresy. IT Who said, Keep si- 
lence. This is generally understood 
as addressed to Ehud, intimating that 
he was to keep silent, and not declare 
his message till the king's attendants 
had withdrawn. But a preferable 
sense we think is that given by Ged- 
des in his translation, ' The king 
said, Privacy !' which was equiva- 
lent to a command to his servants to 
leave the room. This is confirmed 



And all that stood by him went 
out from him. 

20 And Ehud came unto him; 
and he was sitting in a summer- 
x parlor, which he had for him- 

x Amos. 3. 15. 



by the Chal., Syr., and Arab, ver- 
sions, and also by the connexion, as 
the next clause evidently expresses 
the performance of a command. 

20. Sitting in a summer parlor. 
Heb. TF§>KT\ t^lbdaliyath ham- 
mekerah, in an upper room or cham- 
ber of cooling. The extreme heat of 
the climate obliged the Orientals to 
adopt various devices for ventilating 
and cooling their apartments. For 
this purpose they made their doors 
large, and their chambers spacious - t 
but they soon found that such simple 
contrivances were insufficient and 
that other methods of cooling their 
habitations were necessary. ■ At Alep- 
po, according to Russel, this was 
effected by means of kiosks, which 
are a sort of wooden divans or stages, 
which project a little way from their 
other buildings, and hang over the 
street. They are raised about a foot 
and a half higher than the floor of 
the room, to which they are quite 
open, and by having windows in 
front and on each side, a great 
draught of air is produced, causing 
a refreshing coolness in the sultry 
heat of summer. Another method 
of compassing the same end is by 
ventilators. The houses in Persia 
are ventilated by means of a triangu- 
lar building which rises far above the 
terrace roof, and is open at top, so as 
to receive the wind in whatever di- 
rection it blows. The summer par- 
lor of Eglon was undoubtedly cooled 
by some of these contrivances, which 



B. C. 1336.] 



CHAPTER III. 



37 



self alone : and Ehud said, If 21 And Ehud put forth his 
have a message from God unto left hand, and took the dagger 
thee. And he arose out of his 
seat. 



proves that expedients for mitigating 
the extreme heat of the climate are 

of very great antiquity. IT Wliich 

he had for himself alone. Into which 
he went when he wished to be retir- 
ed, and so better adapted to hearing 
a secret message. The circumstance 
is probably mentioned here by way 
of accounting for his servants' 
waiting so long, v. 23, before going 
in to him. From a circumstance 
mentioned by Mr. Bruce, it appears 
that Ehud acted in strict conformity 
to the customs of the time and place,. 
so that neither the suspicion of the 
king nor his attendants should be 
excited by his conduct. It was usual 
for the attendants to retire when se- 
cret messages were to be delivered. 
' i drank a dish of coffee,' says he, 
' and told him, that I was a bearer of 
a confidential message from Ali Bey 
of Cairo, and wished to deliver it to 
him without witnesses, whenever he 
pleased. The room was accordingly 
cleared without delay, excepting his 
secretary, who was also going away, 
when I pulled him back by the 
clothes, saying, stay, if you please ; 
we shall need you to write the an- 
swer.' IT / have a message from 

God unto the'!. A message to be de- 
livered not in word, but by action. 
The Hebrew signifies a thing, a bu- 
siness, an affair, as well as a word. 
The message was on the point of 
Ehud's dagger. The original for 
' God' moreover is a term common 
Doth to the true God and the suppos- 
ed deities of the heathen, so that 
Eglon, as an idolater, might have 
4 



from his ris;ht thigh, and thrust 



it into his belly : 



understood it in a very different sense 
from that intended by Ehud. Yet 
we think it most probable on the 
whole that he would understand 
Ehud, an Israelite, as speaking of the 
God of Israel, and that a general 
feeling of reverence inspired by the 
mention of the deity or the powers 
above, even though his conceptions 
of such a power were very vague, 
was sufficient to prompt him to pay 
a serious attention to what was pro- 
fessedly uttered in his name. 

IT And he arose from his seat. Thus 
paying a becoming respect to a di- 
vine communication. ' Though a 
king, though a heathen king, though 
rich and powerful, though now tyr- 
annizing over the people of God, 
though a fat, unwieldy man that 
could not easily rise nor stand long, 
yet when he expected to receive or- 
ders from heaven, he rose out of his 
seat, and whether it was low and 
easy, or high and stately, he quitted 
it, and stood up when God was about 
to speak to him. thereby owning God 
his Superior. This shames the ir- 
reverence of many who are called 
Christians, and yet when a message 
from God is delivered to them study 
to show by all marks of carelessness 
how little they regard it.' Henry. 
His rising also gave Ehud a favora- 
ble opportunity of striking the fatai 
blow. 

21. Took the dagger — and thrust 
it, &c. A correct estimate of the 
moral character of this bold deed of 
Ehud can only be formed by settling 
the previous question, whether in 



38 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1336. 



performing it he was acting under a 
divine commission, or prompted 
merely by a self-moved impulse of 
patriotism to free his country from 
the yoke of a usurper and a tyrant. 
If the latter were the fact we have 
no disposition to justify the course 
adopted by Ehud, although it maybe 
plausibly maintained to be according 
to the acknowledged right of nature 
and of nations for subjects to free 
themselves from bondage and restore 
liberty to a country unjustly enslaved 
by taking the life of their oppressor. 
Most nations, both in ancient and 
modern times, that have recovered 
themselves from political thraldom, 
have taken this course, and appar- 
ently with the approbation of the 
great mass of mankind. At any 
rate, the objection, against this act 
of Ehud as a base assassination, 
comes with an ill grace from those 
who admire and eulogise the conduct 
of Brutus in stabbing Ceesar in the 
senate-house, on the plea of ridding 
his country of a tyrant. But the 
deed of Ehud is doubtless to be vin- 
dicated on other grounds. There is 
every reason, we think, to look upon 
him as moved to this undertaking by 
an impulse from above. It is ex- 
pressly said, v. 15, that God raised 
him up as a savior to the country, 
and how could he save his country 
but by crushing the power which 
held it in subjection % Again, we 
are brought to the same conclusion 
by considering the peculiar circum- 
stances under which the deed was 
accomplished. In view of the dan- 
gers attending it, what but the confi- 
dence of being divinely directed 
could have induced him, after dis- 
missing his attendants at Gilgal, to 
return alone and attempt the execu- 



tion of his purpose 1 How eould he 
otherwise presume to think that he, 
a single person, and disabled in his 
right hand, could reach the heart of 
the king amidst the circle of his offi- 
cers and guards ] How could he ex- 
pect, enemy as he was, to be admitted 
to a private interview 1 And if ad- 
milted, how could he have looked 
for an incident so favorable to his 
object as the king's ordering all the 
company to leave the room % And 
then, should he succeed in dispatch- 
ing the king, what prospect had he 
of effecting his escape 1 — and yet, 
should he fail to escape, the whole 
enterprise, as far as the deliverance 
of his country was concerned, would 
have been abortive. We cannot 
therefore resist the evidence arising 
from these considerations that Ehud 
acted in this matter in virtue of a 
commission from God, who saw fit 
thus to punish the oppressor of his 
people after having first made use of 
him for their correction. He would 
of course know that the prompting 
to the act was of God, by the Spirit 
that came upon him, the impulses of 
which carried their own evidence 
along with them, and so gave him 
full assurance at on^e of the lawful- 
ness and the success of the attempt, 
of both which he would otherwise 
have had the utmost reason to doubt. 
' If he be sure that God bids him do 
it, he is sure both that he may do it, 
and that he shall do it ; for a com- 
mand from God is sufficient to bear 
us out, and to bring us off, both 
against our consciences and against 
all the world.' Henry. It is not 
however to be imagined that Ehud's 
conduct is to be followed as a prece- 
dent ; for no man can dare to follow 
it unless he have infallible evidence 



fi. C. 1336.] 



CHAPTER III. 



39 



22 And the haft also went in 
after the blade : and the fat 
closed upon the blade, so that 
he could not draw the dagger 
out of his belly ; and the dirt 
came out. 

23 Then Ehud went forth 
through the porch, and shut the 
doors of the parlor upon him, 
and locked them. 

that he is called of God to do it ; but 
as no man can expect such a call 
at this time, no man can without the 
deepest criminality presume to imi- 
tate his example. 

22. And the dirt came out. Ac- 
cording to some, { and it (the blade) 
went out behind.' The obscurity of 
the original renders it difficult to 
affix any determinate sense to the 
words. 

23. Ehud went forth, &c. By a 
remarkable providence, Eglon fell 
silently without uttering any shriek 
or outcry, which might have been 
overheard by his servants at a dis- 
tance. His dying groans seem to 
have been stifled in his own fat, and 
thus the escape of his executioner 
was signally favored. Ehud accord- 
ingly walked forth, shutting and 
locking the doors, and probably tak- 
ing the key with him, with such an 
air of composure and innocence as 
gave no ground of suspicion to any 
of the guards that he might have 
passed, of what had taken place 
within. His calm and sedate de- 
meanor under such trying circum- 
stances is to be resolved into that 
strong confidence in God, by which 
he was actuated in executing the 
commission. 

24. He covereth his feet. This ap- 
pears to have been an idiomatic and 



24 When he was gone out, his 
servants came ; and when they 
saw that, behold, the doors 
of the parlor were locked, they 
said, Surely he covereth his 
feet in his summer-chamber. 

25 And they tarried till they 
were ashamed : and behold ; he 
opened not the doors of the par- 
lor, therefore they took a key 



colloquial form of expression for 
lying down to sleep. When this 
was done they dropped their slip- 
pers, lifted up their feet, and cov- 
ered them with their long loose gar- 
ments. Thus in the only other place 
where this phrase occurs, 1 Sam. 24. 
3, we read, that Saul 'went into a 
cave to cover his feet,' i. e. to refresh 
himself by sleep. This interpreta- 
tion, though varying from that of 
several of the ancient versions, which 
regard it as a euphemism for a dif- 
ferent act, is confirmed by the Arabic 
and Syriac, and also by Josephus, 
who says, ' The king's servants were 
very still, as supposing that the king 
had composed himself to sleep.'' From 
the case of Ishbosheth, 2 Sam. 4. 5, 
and of David, 2 Sam. 11. 2, it is 
evident that the custom of taking re- 
pose in those hot countries in the 
middle of the day was by no means 
unusual. 

25. Tarried till they were ashamed. 
That is, perplexed, confounded, not 
knowing what to make of it. They 
were greatly agitated between the 
fear of disturbing him on the one 
hand, and of neglecting their duty 
on the other. Though the primary 
import of the original is that of feel- 
ing shame, yet it is also in repeated 
instances found to be closely con- 
nected with the idea of disappoints 



40 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1336. 



and opened them: and behold, 
their lord was fallen down dead 
on the earth. 

26 And Ehud escaped while 
they tarried ; and passed be- 
yond the quarries, and escaped 
unto Seirath. 

27 And it came to pass when 
he was come, that y he blew a 
trumpet in the z mountain of 
Ephraim, and the children of 
Israel went down with him from 
the mount, and he before them. 

y cli. 5. 14, and 6. 34. 1 Sam. 13. 3. z Josh. 
17. 15. ch. 7. 24, and 17. 1, and 19. 1. 

ment in long waiting, and consequent 
perplexity, chagrin, mortification. 
Thus Jer. 14. 3, 'And their nobles 
have sent their little ones to the wa- 
ters : they have come to the pits, and 
found no water ; they returned with 
their vessels empty ; they were 
ashamed and confounded, and cov- 
ered their heads.' Job. 6. 19, 20, 
■ The troops of Tema looked, the 
companies of Sheba wailed for them. 
They were confounded because they 
had hoped ; they came thither and 
were ashamed.'' Comp. Ps. 6. 1 ; Jer. 

14. 4 ; Is. 19. 9. IT Behold, their 

lord ivas fallen down. Heb. Wl^in^ 
adonehem, their lords, pi. according 
to the Heb. idiom. See on Gen. 1. 1. 
'God, when he hath chastened his 
children, doth many times cast the 
rod into the fire.' Trapp. 

27. Blew a trumpet in the mountain 
of Ephraim. That is, caused trum- 
pets to be blown in different direc- 
tions throughout that region. By the 
'mountain of Ephraim,' is not meant 
any particular mountain, but the 
mountainous tract or district gene- 
rally. Ehud, though a Benjamite, 
applied first to the tribe of Ephraim, 



28 And he said unto them, 
Follow after me : for a the Lord 
hath delivered your enemies the 
Moabites into your hand. And 
they went down after him, and 
took b the fords of Jordan toward 
Moab, and suffered not a man 
to pass over. 

29 And they slew of Moab at 
that time about ten thousand 
men, all lusty, and all men of 
valor : and there escaped not a 
man. 

a ch. 7. 9, 15. 1 Sam. 17. 47. b Josh. 2. 7. 
ch. 12. 5. 



probably for the reason that that tribe, 
lying immediately contiguous, was 
more numerous than his own, and 
had more men to spare, as the Ben- 
jamites not long before, in conse- 
quence of the events mentioned ch. 
19 — 21, seem to have been reduced to 
a mere handful. It is not unlikely, 
moreover, that the Ephraimites had 
been the principal sufferers under 

the rod of Moab. IT The children 

of Israel went down from the mount. 
After being collected in considerable 
numbers by his emissaries. 

28. Took the fords of Jordan. He 
first secured these passes and set a 
strong guard upon them, to cut off 
all communication between the Mo- 
abites on the west, and those in their 
own country on the east of Jordan, 
so that those who might attempt to 
fly should have no means of escape, 
and those who might resolve to 
fight no prospect of assistance from 
abroad. ' He thus shut them up in 
that land as their prison, in which 
they were pleasing themselves as 
their palace and paradise.' Hairy. 

29. All lusty, and all men of valor. 
The best and choicest of all the king 



B. C. 1336.] 



CHAPTER III. 



41 



30 So Moab was subdued that 
day under the hand of Israel ; 
and c the land had rest fourscore 
years. 

31 IF And after him was d Sham- 



c ver. 11. J ch. 5. 



1 Sum. 13. 19. 22. 



of Moab's forces, picked troops, com- 
posed of men of bulk and stature, 
able-bodied and high-spirited, whom 
Eglon had stationed on that side the 
Jordan to overawe and keep Israel 
in subjection. Chal. 'every one ter- 
rible and full of valor.' 

31. After him was Shamgar. Of 
the tribe and family of Shamgar no- 
thing is said in the Scripture, except 
that he was the son of Anath, nor are 
we informed how long he judged Is- 
rael. From his having to do prin- 
cipally with the Philistines, it is 
probable that he originated in one of 
the tribes bordering upon their terri- 
tory, as perhaps that of Judah or Dan. 

% With an ox-goad. Heb.l^b^ 

malmad. from the root Ifzb lamad, to 
teach, and literally rendered ' an in- 
structer of oxen;' i. e. an instrument 
by which they are brought into due 
subjection, analogous to which we 

have, Ho<. io. ii, m»j& nto 

egleh malmcdah, a heifer that is 
taught, and Jer. 31. 18, ' I was chas- 
tised "^b iO bW2 keegel lo lummad, 
as a hillock not taught, i. e. not train- 
ed to subjection, though rendered less 
accurately in our translation, ( unac- 
customed to the yoke.' The Sept. 
and Vulg. render the original by a 
coulter or ploughshare, but that the 
ox-goad still used in Palestine is a 
weapon sufficiently destructive for 
this purpose, if wielded by a strong 
and skilful hand, appears highly 
probable from the description of this 
implement given by Maundrell. He 
4* 



gar the son of Anath, which 
slew of the Philistines six hun- 
dred men e with an ox-goad ; 
f and he also delivered g Israel. 

e 1 Sam. 17. 47, 50. f ch. 2. 16. g ch. 4. 
1, 3, &c. and 10. 7, 17, and 11. 4, &c. 1 Sam. 
4. 1. 



says, ' the country people were now 
everywhere at plough in the fields, 
in order to sow cotton. It was ob- 
servable, that in ploughing they used 
goads of extraordinary size ; upon 
measuring of several, I found them 
eight feet long, and at the bigger end 
six inches in circumference. They 
were armed at the lesser end with a 
sharp prickle for driving the oxen, 
at the other end with a small spade, 
or paddle of iron, strong and massy, 
for cleansing the plough from the 
clay that encumbers it in working. 
May we not from hence conjecture, 
that it was with such a goad as one 
of these, that Shamgar made that 
prodigious slaughter related of him^ 
Judges 3. 211 lam confident that 
whoever should see one of these in- 
struments, would judge it to be a 
weapon not less fit, perhaps fitter, 
than a sword for such an execution. 
Goads of this sort I saw always used 
hereabouts, and also in Syria ; and 
the reason is, because the same 
single person both drives the oxen, 
and also holds and manages the 
plough ; which makes it necessary 
to use such a goad as is above de- 
scribed, to avoid the encumbrance 
of two instruments.' This is con- 
firmed by Mr. Buckingham, who, 
in describing his journey from Soor 
(Tyre) to Acre, remarks of the 
ploughing that he witnessed, that 
' oxen were yoked in pairs, and the 
plough was small and of simple con- 
struction, so that it seemed necessary 



42 



A 



JUDGES. 



CHAPTER IV. 
ND a the children of Israel 
again did evil in the sight 



for two to follow each other in the 
same furrow, as they invariably did. 
The husbandman holding the plough 
with one hand, by a handle like that 
of a walking crutch, bore in the other 
a goad of seven or eight feet in 
length, armed with a sharp point of 
iron at one end, and at the other with 
a plate of the same metal shaped like 
a caulking-chisel. One attendant on- 
ly was necessary for each plough, 
as he who guided it, with one hand 
spurred the oxen with the points of 
the goad, and cleansed the earth 
from the ploughshare by its spaded 
heel with the other.' Shamgar was 
perhaps quietly following the plough, 
at the time when the Philistines 
made a sudden inroad upon the 
country for purposes of plunder, ana* 
being moved by God to oppose them, 
and having neither spear nor sword 
at hand, he availed himself of the 
implement with which he was driv- 
ing his oxen, and with that effected 
the slaughter here described. The 
achievement was probably miracu- 
lous on his part, like that of Samson 
in killing so many thousands of the 
Philistines with the jaw-bone of an 
ass ; though several respectable com- 
mentators suppose that instead of 
withstanding the enem3 r alone, he 
pU himself at the head of a hastily 
gathered band of country people, 
who, ?rming themselves with the im- 
plements of -tillage with which they 
were occupied, fell upon the invaders 
and put them to a total rout. In sup- 
port of th's sense it is affirmed, that 
a leader is often put for the force 
which he comma ids. as above, ch. 



of the 

dead. 



[B. C. 1316. 
Lord when Ehud was 



a ch. 2. 19. 



1. 13, where Othniel is said to have 
taken Kirjath-sepher, though no one 
will suppose he did it unassisted. So 
also in regard to the exploits of the 
three champions of Israel mentioned 
2 Sam. 23. 8-12. But this interpre- 
tation appears on the whole less 
likely. The incident is evidently re- 
corded as something uncommon and 
marvellous, and as divine interposi- 
tions no more strange frequently oc- 
curred during the days of the judges, 
we deem it safer to abide by the ex- 
act letter of the text. ( It is no mat- 
ter how weak the weapon is, if God 
direct and strengthen the arm. An 
ox-goad, when God pleases, shall do 
more than Goliath's sword. And 
sometimes he chooses to work by 
such unlikely means, that the excel- 
lency of the power may appear to be 
of God.' Henry. The brief account 
here given of Shamgar here suggests 
the remark, (1) That the most dis- 
tinguished men have often risen from 
the meanest employments. (2) That 
when a ploughman is raised up by 
God to hold the reins of government, 
or a fisherman is elevated to the 
apostleship, he will qualify them for 
their work and bless them with suc- 
cess. 



CHAPTER IV. 

1. The children of Israel again did 
evil in the sight of the Lord. This 
mode of expression when used, as 
here, of the whole body of the nation, 
seems to imply a general and open 
defection from the worship of God, 
so that the services of the sanctuary 
were in a great measure neglected. 



B. C. 1316.] 



CHAPTER IV 



43 



2 And the Lord b sold them 
into the hand of Jabin king of 
Canaan that reigned in c Hazor, 
the captain of whose host was 

b ch. 2. 14. c Josh. 11. 1, 10, and 19. 36. 

1 What a continued circle is here of 
sins, judgments, repentance, deliver- 
ance ! The conversation with idola- 
ters taints them with sin, their sin 
draws on judgment, the smart of the 
judgment moves them to repentance, 
on their repentance follows speedy 
deliverance, on their peace and de- 
liverance the}' sin again ! Who would 
not think idolatry an absurd and un- 
natural thing 1 which as it hath the 
fewest inducements, so hath it also 
the most direct prohibitions from God; 
and yet after all their warnings, 
Israel falls into it again. Neither af- 
fliction nor repentance can secure an 
Israelite from redoubling his worst 
sin, if he be left to his own frailty.' 

Bp. Hall. IF Wlien Ehud vjas dead. 

This appears to be inserted not mere- 
ly to indicate the time when this 
apostasy took place, but also to ac- 
quit Ehud of all participation in it. 
Had he been alive there would have 
been less likelihood of its occurring. 
2. Sold them. See on ch. 2. 14. 

IT Jabin, king of Canaan. That 

is, of the region where the greatest 
body of the Canaanites dwelt, which 
was in the northern section of the 
country. This Jabin was perhaps a 
descendant, as well as successor of 
the king of the same name, who 
reigned also in Hazor, and who was 
routed and slain, and his city burnt 
by Joshua, Josh. 11. 1, 10. In pro- 
cess of time, it appears that the city 
had been rebuilt, its power regained, 
its losses retrieved, and by degrees 
the king of Hazor had obtained the 



d Sisera, which dwelt in e Haro- 
sheth of the Gentiles. 

3 And the children of Israel 
cried unto the Lord ; for he had 

a 1 Sam. 12. 9. Ps. 83. 9. e ver. 13, 16. 



ascendency over Israel, who were 
exceedingly oppressed under his rod. 
Their former defeat by the chosen 
people, would naturally provoke 
them to make their burdens as heavy 
as possible, while on the other hand, 
the misery of the sufferers would be 
aggravated by the reflection, that 
these Canaanites had once been con- 
quered and subdued by them, and 
might now have been under their 
feet and incapable of molesting them, 
if their own slothfulness, cowardice, 
and unbelief had not given them the 
advantage. To be oppressed by 
those whom their fathers had con- 
quered, and whom they had foolishly 
spared, must have greatly embittered 
their bondage. No reverses are so 
trying as those which give the upper 
hand to persons or events that have 
once been under our complete con- 
trol. V- Harosheth of the Gentiles. 

Or, ' Harosheth of the nations,' i. e. 
of the heathen nations as opposed to 
the Hebrews, so called perhaps from 
the remains of the Canaanitish na- 
tions having resorted thither in great 
numbers to assist Sisera, the com- 
mander of Jabin's armies, and to 
obtain his protection. It was situated 
in the tribe of Naphtali, near the 
west borders of the Lake Samechoni- 
tis, in the region which was after- 
wards called, perhaps in allusion to 
this passage. ' Galilee of the Gentiles.' 
3. Cried unto the Lord. ' Those 
who abuse prosperity shall know 

the cries of adversity.' Haweis. ■ 

IT Nine hundred chariots of iron. 



44 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1316. 



nine hundred f chariots of iron ; 
and twenty years g he mightily 
oppressed the children of Israel. 

f ch. 1. 19. g ch. 5. 8. Ps. 106. 42. 

Had so many at his service and under 
his control. It is probable that part 
of them belonged to the neighboring 
powers (ch. 5. 19,) who were confed- 
erate with him on this occasion, but 
altogether they made out the vast 
number here mentioned. ' God pro- 
vides, on purpose, mighty adversa- 
ries for his church, that their humilia- 
tion may be greater in sustaining? 
and his glory may be greater in de- 
liverance. Bp. Hall. IT Twenty 

years. A longer period of oppression 
than either of the former, because 
God proportions the judgments of his 
sinning people to the aggravation of 
their offences. 

4. And Deborah a prophetess. Heb. 
l-B^M iim mim Deborah ishah 
nebiah, Deborah a woman a pro- 
phetess. The words ' prophet,' and 
' prophetess,' are of a very extensive 
and somewhat ambiguous significa- 
tion in the Old Testament, being 
sometimes applied to persons extra- 
ordinarily endowed of God with the 
power of foretelling future events or 
of working miracles, or of chanting 
or singing forth the praises of God 
under supernatural influence ; and 
sometimes to those who were re- 
markably instructed in divine know- 
ledge by the immediate inspiration 
of the Spirit of God, and therefore 
appointed to act as interpreters. of 
his will. As to Deborah, she proba- 
bly belonged to the latter class, and 
was perhaps only a woman of emi- 
nent holiness, prudence, and know- 
ledge of divine things, by which she 
was qualified above any of the other 



4 IT And Deborah, a prophet- 
ess, the wife of Lapidoth, she 
judged Israel at that time. 



sex then living to judge the people; 
thatis, by acting as God's mouth to 
them, correcting abuses, redressing 
grievances, and determining causes, 
especially in matters pertaining to 
the law and the worship of God. She 
was resorted to by the people of Is- 
rael, from different parts, for judg- 
ment or counsel relative to subjects 
of general interest to the nation, or 
that part of it where she resided, and 
discharged her duty by expounding 
the Scriptures, and animating the 
magistrates in their several districts 
to put the laws in execution. ' I do 
not find any prophet in Israel during 
their sin ; but so soon as I hear new 7 s 
of their repentance, mention is made 
of a prophetess, and judge of Israel. 
There is no better sign of God's re- 
conciliation than the sending of his 
holy messengers to any people ; he is 
not utterly fallen out with those whom 
he blesses with prophecy.' Bp. Hall. 
Under every dispensation the Most 
High exercises his prerogative as a 
sovereign in the bestowment of spirit- 
ual gifts, and though women, under 
the Christian economy, are precluded 
from the function of public teachers, 
yet nothing hinders them from mak- 
ing the most eminent attainments in 
divine knowledge, and becoming 
able in a private capacity to render 
the most signal services to the min- 
istry and the cause of Christ. The 
import of the name Deborah is ' a 
bee;' an equivalent to which we find 
in the classic name Melissa, signify- 
ing also a bee. Females possessed of 
her spirit in respect to the assiduous 



B. C. 1316.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



45 



5 h And she dwelt under the 
palm-tree of Deborah, between 
Raman and Beth-el in mount 

h Gen. 35. 8. 

study of the Scriptures, will find 
themselves, like David, feeding upon 
that which is sweeter to their taste 
than honey or the honey-comb, and 
in the benevolent employments to 
which it will prompt them, will 
evince the busy and untiring dili- 
gence of their insect exemplar. 

IT The wife of Lapidoth. The ter- 
mination of the word is the Heb, 
feminine plural, which very seldom 
occurs in the names of men. Some 
therefore render it ' woman of Lapi- 
doth,' as if it were the name of a 
place. Others, as Lapidoth taken 
appellatively signifies lamps, would 
read it a ' woman of lamps/ i. e. one 
who made wicks for the lamps of 
the tabernacle. Others again, with 
more show of probability, would 
translate it a ' woman of illumina- 
tions or splendors,' by which they 
would understand a woman super- 
iiaturally enlightened, endowed with 
extraordinary wisdom, and who had 
hus become very eminent and illus- 
rious. After all, the present render- 
,ng, ' wife of Lapidoth,' is the most 
irobable. Thus 2 Kings 22. 14, 

Huldah the prophetess, the wife of 
Shallum.' And for examples of 
feminine terminations in the names 
of men, see ' Shelomith,' 1 Chron. 
23. 9 ; ' Meramoth,' Ezra 8. 33 ; and 

Mikloth,' 1 Chron. 27. 4. HJudg- 

•d Brad. That is, in the manner 
ibove described, it can hardly be 
supposed that she performed all the 
duties usually involved in the office 
;>f a judge of Israel, of which one of 
.he principal was leading the tribes 
in person to war against the enemies 



Ephraim: and the children of 
Israel came up to her for judg- 
ment. 



and oppressors of their country. But 
so far as the work of judging the 
people depended upon counselling 
and directing them in difficult cases, 
and expounding the will of God un- 
der the influence of the spirit of pro- 
phecy, this, though a woman, she 
might be qualified to do. Had this 
office, at this time, been filled by a 
man, it would probably have given 
alarm to Jabin, and afforded a pre- 
text to oppress the nation with still 
greater burdens, and perhaps to at- 
tempt to crush them altogether. Jo- 
sephus, speaking of this period, says, 
'When they (the Israelites) were be- 
come penitent, and were so wise as 
to learn that their calamities arose 
from their contempt of the laws, they 
besought Deborah, a certain prophet- 
ess among them, to pray to God to 
take pity on them, not to overlook 
them now they Avere ruined by the 
Canaanites.' Ant. B. V. eh. 5. Com- 
pare what is said of Samuel, 1 Sam. 
7. 6, 8. 

5. She dwelt under the palm-tree of 
Deborah. That is, perhaps, collect. 
a palm-grove, a pleasant and shady 
recess, amidst a thick plantation of 
palm-trees ; which from this circum- 
stance went ever after by the name 
of Deborah's palm-grove. Whether 
this is designed to intimate that her 
ordinary settled habitation was se- 
lected in this place, or that her judg- 
ment-seat was fixed here in the open 
air for hearing the applications that 
were made to her, it is not easy to 
determine. The original QflSfEfti 
yoshcbcl.h, was silting,) will- admit of 
eiiher sense. From the phrase 'sit- 



46 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



6 And she sent and called 
' Burak the son of Abinoam out 
of k Kedesh-naphtali, and said 

i Heb. 11. 32. k Josh. 19. 37. 

ting in judgment,' Ps. 9. 8, it would 
appear, that the latter is the more 

genuine import of the words. 

IT Between Ramath and Bethel in 
mount Ephraim. Consequently very 
near the confines of the tribes of Ben- 
jamin and Ephraim, in one of which 
lay Ramah, and in the other Bethel, 
the former about six miles north of 
Jerusalem, the latter about twelve. 

6. Kedesh-naphtali. So called to 
distinguish it from two other cities 
of the same name, the one in Issa- 
char, the other in Judah. This 
place was situated on an eminence, 
about eight miles north-west from the 
head of the sea of Galilee. ToKedesh 
she sent for Barak, in virtue of the 
authority with which she was invest- 
ed as prophetess, and which seems to 
have been generally acknowledged 
by her people. ' He could do nothing 
without her head, nor she without 
his hands ; both together made a com- 
plete deliverer and effected a com- 
plete deliverance. The greatest and 
best are not self-sufficient, but need 

one another.' Henry. M Hath not 

the Lord God of Israel commanded, 
&c. The usual form of a strong 
affirmation. It does not appear, how- 
ever, that Barak had received any 
command whatever previous to this 

time. ^Go and draw toward mount 

Tabor. The true sense of the term 
'draw,' in this connexion, is a point 
much debated by commentators. 
According to the rendering in our 
common translation, it would natu- 
rally be .taken as a command to ap- 
proach toward mount Tabor-, but this 



unto him, Hath not the Lord 
God of Israel commanded, say- 
ing , Go, and draw toward mount 
Tabor, and take with thee ten 



evidently is incorrect, as the verb in 
the original never has this meaning, 
and the exact rendering of the pre- 
position is in or upon mount Tabor, 
instead of toward. A nearer ap- 
proximation to the sense of the He- 
brew must be attempted, and here as 
in other cases of doubtful interpreta- 
tion, the prevailing usage (usus lo- 
quendi) of the sacred writers in re- 
gard to the word in question, must 
afford the clew to our inquiries. 
That its primary import is to draw, 
to draw out, and thence, in some 
cases, to prolong, to protract, as 
the sound of a trumpet in blowing, 
is universally conceded. Indeed, 
Le Clerc, Schmid, and others, on the 
ground of its being applied to the 
long-drawn sound of a trumpet. Ex. 
17. 13 ; Josh. 6. 5, propose to supply 
the original word for trumpet and to 
take it as a command to Barak to go 
and blow the trumpet on mount Tabor, 
as a signal for the gathering of the 
tribes, as Ehud did upon mount 
Ephraim. Gesenius and Winer in 
their lexicons, understand it of draw* 
ing out, or asunder, a military force, 
i. e. intrans. extending, expanding, 
spreading themselves out. A prefer- 
able sense we think to be that of 
drawing, drafting, or enlisting, not 
perhaps by compulsion, but by argu- 
ment and persuasion ; not so much 
to raise an army of conscripts, as a 
band of volunteers ; as will be easily 
inferred from the tenor of Deborah's 
song in the ensuing chapter, which 
is in part a reproof to several of the 
tribes for not offering themselves wil- 



B. C. 1296.] CHAPTER IV 

thousand men of the children 



47 



of Naphtali, and of the children 
of Zebulun : 



lingly on this perilous emergency. 
How much support this rendering 
receives from parallel usage will be 
seen from the following cilations. 
Cant. 1. 4, ' Draw me, we will run 
after thee ;' i. e. secretly but power- 
fully constrain me. Jer. 31. 3, ' I 
have loved thee with an everlasting 
love; therefore with loving kindness 
have I drawn thee.' Hos. 11. 4, ' / 
drew them with cords of a man, with 
bands of love ;' i. e. by the power of 
moral suasion ; by arguments and 
motives suited to their rational na- 
tures. In like manner, we suppose 
B?rak was ordered to go and use 
h's utmost endeavors to stir up the 
l/jnds of his countrymen, and as a 
popular advocate of any cause draws 
partisans after him, so he was to pre- 
vail upon as many as possible to en- 
gage with him in the proposed enter- 
prise. See on eh. 5. 14. VMount 

Tabor. An isolated mountain which 
rises on the north-eastern side of the 
great plain of Esdraelon in Galilee, 
and situated about six miles south- 
east of Nazareth. It is described as 
having the appearance of a cone with 
the point cut off ; but travellers vary 
in their estimate of its height, which 
is probably about 2,500 or 3,000 feet. 
It is remarkable for standing alone, 
though there are several eminences 
in the neighborhood, all which it 
completely overtops. It is very fer- 
tile and is entirely covered with green 
oaks and other trees, shrubs, and 
odoriferous plants. Roads and paths 
are made on the south side of the 
mountain, which lead to its top by 
winding ascents, and are sufficiently 
easy to admit of riding to the top. 



When arrived at the summit, the 
traveller is astonished to find an oval 
of half a mile in extent, commanding 
the finest view any where to be ob- 
tained in the whole compass of Pal- 
estine. On this plain at the east end 
is a mass of ruins, apparently the re- 
mains of churches, towers, strong 
walls, and fortifications, all bearing 
the traces of having been erected in 
a very remote antiquity. Several 
grottos and cisterns are also pointed 
out. ' From its top,' says Maund- 
rell, ' you have a prospect which, it 
nothing else, will reward the labor 
of ascending it. It is impossible for 
man's eyes to have a higher gratifi- 
cation of this nature. On the north- 
west, you discern, at a distance, the 
Mediterranean, and all round you 
have the spacious and beautiful 
plains of Esdraelon and Galilee. 
Turning a little southward you have 
in view the high mountains of Gil- 
boa, fatal to Saul and his sons. Due 
east you discern the sea of Tiberias, 
distant about one day's journey.' 
The mountain is now called Djebel 

Tour. IF Ten thousand men. Ten 

thousand more or less. Not that he 
was to be tied to this precise number, 
nor exclusively to these two tribes ; 
for it is plain from ch. 5. 14-23, that 
several other tribes, asEphraim, Ben- 
jamin, Manasseh, and Issachar, vol- 
unteered recruits on the occasion, 
while those that withheld them are 
reproved, and Meroz cursed for tak- 
ing the stand of neutrality ; but the 
tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali are 
more especially mentioned, because 
they had probably been the princi- 
pal sufferers under the oppressive 



48 



JULGE3. 



[B. C. 1296. 



7 And *I will draw unto thee, 
to the m river Kishon, Sisera the 
captain of Jabin's army, with 
his chariots and his multitude : 



lExod. 14.4. 
Ps. 83. 9, 10. 



m ch. 5. 21. 1 Kings 18. 40. 



rule of Jabin, and were nearer at hand 
to the scene of the approaching con- 
flict than any of the rest. In addition 
to this, Barak himself was of the tribe 
of Naphtali, and the esteem in which 
he was doubtless held, would natu- 
rally bring numbers of them to his 
standard. 

7. And I will draw unto thee,. The 
same word as that employed in the 
preceding verse, and having a kin- 
dred import. God would ' draw the 
hosts of Sisera to the river Kishon,' 
by so ordering the events of his pro- 
vidence as to afford motives to them 
to concentrate in all their force at 
that point. They were not to be 
drawn together by physical, but by 
moral influence. Their counsels 
were to be so overruled by a secret 
divine direction, that they should 
result in their being brought together 
at that place, as sheep for the slaugh- 
ter, and yet their utmost freedom of 
will left undisturbed. ' When God 
will destroy his enemies, their re- 
sistance is in vain ; and their gather- 
ing to battle is only rushing into the 
snare.' Haweis. IT The river Ki- 
shon. See on ch. 5. 21. 

8. If thou wilt go with me, &c. By 
making his obedience conditional 
when the command was absolute, Ba- 
rak showed that his faith was marred 
by infirmity, and this conviction is 
confirmed by Deborah's answer, in 
which she intimates to him that he 
shall not receive the same honor or 
distinction from the enterprise, that 



and I will deliver him into thine 
hand? 

8 And Barak said unto her, If 
thou wilt go with me, then I 
will go : but if thou wilt not go 
with me, then I will not go. 



he would otherwise have done. In 
like manner, Moses' lack of faith, 
when ordered to go upon a mission 
to Pharaoh, led God to divide the 
honor of that embassy with Aaron, 
which would otherwise have redound- 
ed to Moses alone, Ex. 4. 14. Still 
it is evident from the apostle's com- 
mendation, Heb. 11. 32, that Barak 
possessed true though weak faith, 
and that it Was from a profound con- 
viction of the spirit of God's dwell- 
ing and speaking in Deborah, that 
he so earnestly desired her presence. 
Could he but enjoy this, he would 
feel that he possessed a pledge and 
earnest of the divine blessing, and 
this was showing a respect to God's 
prophets, which implied a genuine 
faith, and was no doubt highly ac- 
ceptable as far as it went. But 
though it would naturally be a source 
of great satisfaction and encourage- 
ment to him, to have the prophetess 
with him to animate his soldiers, and 
to be consulted as an oracle upon all 
occasions, yet it is plain that he ought 
to have gone directly forward with- . 
out her, relying on the God of Debo- 
rah, who had expressly and uncon- 
ditionally promised him the victory, 
v. 7. How rare, alas ! is simple, 
child-like confidence in God ! How 
difficult is it for men. and the best of 
men, to break away from undue de- 
pendance on an arm of flesh, even 
when assured by the most express 
declaration of God, that he will up- 
hold and deliver them, and be to 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



49 



9 And she said, I will surely 
go with thee : notwithstanding 
the journey that thou takest 
shall not be for thine honor ; for 
the Lord shall " sell Sisera into 

n ch. 2. 14. 



them more than armies of strength, 
or munitions of rocks ! 

9. I will surely go with thee. An 
indulgence to human infirmity, such 
as the divine condescension often 
afforded to his weak and wavering 
servants. Were God's thoughts like 
onrs and his ways like ours, he 
would have been far more apt to dis- 
card Barak altogether and say to 
him, that if he had not faith enough 
to trust the promise of Him who 
cannot lie, he would call some one 
to the service who had, and to whom 
he would give the glory of an exploit 
which he had in so cowardly a man- 
ner declined. But with characteris- 
tic kindness the Most High is pleased 
to yield somewhat to his perverse- 
ness, and Deborah, under the divine 
prompting, engages to accompany 
him. While the parties thus seem 
in effect to have changed sexes, it is 
obviously meet that some tokens of 
divine disapprobation should mark 
Barak's faint-heartedness, and he is 
consequently told that he is to share 
the glory of the victory with a weak 

woman. IT The journey that thou 

takest shall not be for thine honor. 
Heb. 'thine honor shall not be upon 
the way which thou goest.' That 
is, probably, the way, the conduct, 
the course which thou art proposing 
in this matter shall not be such as to 
redound to thy credit. If, however, 
it be taken as read in our translation, 
then the remark of Henry may be 
very well founded, that ' so confident 



the hand of a woman. And 
Deborah arose, and went with 
Barak to Kedesh. 

10 tf And Barak called °Zebu- 
lun and JNaphtali to Kedesh; 

o cb. 5. 18. 



was she of success that she calls his 
engaging in the war but the under- 
taking of a journey.' ITTAe Lord, 

shall sell Sisera into the hand of a 
woman. Some understand this of 
Deborah herself, but we think the 
designed allusion is to Jael. Of her 
the words may be understood liter- 
ally ; applied to Deborah they can 
only be explained by a figure of 
speech. Besides, if spoken of Debo- 
rah, the sentence merely declares 
what he knew. before. He was no 
doubt aware that if she went with 
him it would diminish the credit of 
his success, yet notwithstanding he 
was sensible of this he insisted upon 
her accompanying him. But in re- 
gard to the part Jael was to act in the 
transaction, he of course knew no- 
thing. This was a pure prediction 
uttered by Deborah in the spirit of 
prophecy, and such he would under- 
stand it to be when the event was ac- 
complished. IT Deborah— went with 

Barak to Kedesh. Consequently Ba- 
rak had previously, in obedience to 
her summons, left Kedesh and re- 
paired to her at her residence be- 
tween Ramah and Beth-el. The 
above conversation was undoubtedly 
held by the parties in person after 
they met. 

10. And Barak called Zebulun and 
Naphtali. The original for ' called' 
being in the Hiphil form, properly 
signifies caused to call, i. e. assem- 
ble by means of emissaries sent 
among the tribes. Whether this 



50 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



and he went up with ten thou- 
sand men p at his feet : and De- 
borah went up with him. 

11 Now Heber q the Kenite, 
ivhich was of the children of 

P See Ex. 11. 8. 1 Kings 20. 10. q ch. 1.16. 

was done, as some suppose, by the 
blowing of trumpets, the common 
signal for war, or otherwise, is un- 
certain. IT Went up loiih ten thou- 
sand men at his feet. Heb. ' went 
up with his feet ten thousand men.' 
Such is the literal rendering of the 
original, from which most of the 
versions depart, and so lose the 
exact shade of meaning which we 
conceive the words intended to con- 
vey, viz. that the ten thousand ac- 
companied him with as much alac- 
rity as though all their feet had be- 
longed to his body ; in other words. 
they were entirely at his control, ob- 
sequious to his beck and bidding. 
The phrase may appear uncouth, 
but it is highly significant, and in all 
cases we would aim to adhere as 
closely as practicable to the very let- 
ter of the original. The intelligent 
reader would prefer to know pre- 
cisely what the sacred penman says, 
and then to be left to put such a con- 
struction upon it as to his mind the 
evidence of the case admits or re- 
quires. Comp. ch. 5. 15, and 8. 5. — 
' The phrase " men at his feet," did 
not, I believe, refer to any particular 
class of soldiers, but applied to all, 
whether they fought in chariots, on 
horses, or on foot. This form of 
speech is used in eastern books to 
show how many obey or serve under 
the general. It may be taken from 
the action of a slave being prostrate 
at the feet of his master, denoting 
submission or obedience. In this 



r Hobab the father-in-law of 
Moses, had severed himself from 
the Kenites, and pitched his 
tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, 
s which is by Kedesh. 

r Num. 10. 29. s ver. 6. 



way devotees, when addressing the 
gods, always speak of themselves as 
being at their feet. When the Ori- 
entals speak of his Majesty of Bri- 
tain, they often allude to the millions 
who are at his feet. The governors, 
generals, or judges in the East, are 
said to have the people of such coun- 
tries, or armies, or districts, at their 
feet. Nay, it is common for mas- 
ters, and people of small possessions, 
to speak of their domestics as being 
at their feet. It is therefore heard 
every day, fur " I will send my ser- 
vants," en-kal-adiyila, " those at my 
feet." ' Roberts. 

11. Now Heber the Kenite, &c. 
This verse comes in here parentheti- 
cally, to prepare the way for what is 
soon to be said about Jael, a woman 
of this family. It would otherwise 
seem singular, that when the writer 
had before said, ch. 1. 16, that this 
family had passed into the tribe of 
Judah, and was dwelling in the wil- 
derness south of Arad, that one of 
the stock was found abiding so far 
north as the tribe of Naphtali. He 
accounts for it by saying that the in- 
dividual in question had emigrated 
to a distance from his brethren. 
The verse should have been includ- 
ed in the usual marks of a parenthe- 
sis. ^Pitched his tent unto. That 

is, gradually shifted his habitation 
towards. See on Gen. 13. 12. He 
doubtless followed the nomade mode 
of life. 

12 And they showed Sisera. A 



B- C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



51 



12 And they showed Sisera 
that Barak the son of Abinoam 
was gone up to mount Tabor. 

13 And Sisera gathered to- 
gether all his chariots, even nine 
hundred chariots of iron, and all 
the people that were with him, 
from Harosheth of the Gentiles 
unto the river of Kishon. 

14 And Deborah said unto Ba- 
rak, Up ; for this is the day in 



common idiom for : it was told Sise- 
ra.' See on Gen. 16. 14. 

13. Gathered together. The same 
word in the original with that spoken 
of Barak, v. 10, and there rendered 
'called. 1 In both cases it means to 

assemble by proclamation. IT Unto 

the river Kishon. That is, gathered 
unto the river Kishon. The writer 
is not giving the boundaries of the 
several nations that were conlederate 
with Sisera, nor stating that they ex- 
tended from Harosheth of the Gen- 
tiles unto the river Kishon. 

14. Hath delivered Sisera into thy 
hand. Will as certainly deliver as 
if it were already done. By Sisera 
here is meant his army, for as to 
Sisera himself, he was not delivered 
into the hand of Barak, but of Jael, 
as Deborah had before announced, 

v. 9. M Is not the Lord gone out 

before thee ? As God had expressly 
said, v. 7, that he would draw Sise- 
ra's army with his chariots and his 
multitudes together to the river Ki- 
shon, and then deliver them into Ba- 
rak's hand, so Deborah in these 
words simply intimates that God 
had thus far been as good as his pro- 
mise, that he had gone out before 
Barak in the sense of putting every- 
thing in readiness for his achieving 
the promised victor}'. The Lord's 



which the Lord hath delivered 
Sisera into thy hand : l is not 
the Lord gone out before thee ? 
So Barak went down from 
mount Tabor, and ten thousand 
men after him. 

15 And " the Lord discomfited 
Sisera, and all his chariots, and 
all his host, with the edge of 

t Deut. 9. 3. 2 Sam. 5. 24. Ps. 68. 7. 
Isai. 52. 12. " Ps. 83. 9, 10. See Josh. 10.10. 



going before one in battle, when 
thus explained, is equivalent to 
making sure a successful result. So 
2 Sam. 5. 24, ' And let it be when 
thou hearest the sound of a going in 
the tops of the mulberry trees, that 
then thou shalt bestir thyself; for 
then shall the Lord go out before thee, 
to smite the host of the Philistines.' 
Nothing so encourages a good man 
in the way of duty or of danger, as 
the conviction that the Lord goes 
before him, and that he is acting 

under his direction H Barak went 

down from the mount. Instead of 
making it his chief object to main- 
tain the post which he had chosen, 
with all its advantages, on the top of 
the mount, where he was completely 
unassailable by the enemy's iron 
chariots, he heroically sallies down 
to the level plain with his far infe- 
rior force, in order that by giving 
Sisera every advantage, the glory of 
the victory to be achieved over him 
might be so much the greater. 

15. The Lord discomfited Siseta, 
Or, as the Heb. implies, confounded, 
threw them into disorder, drove them 
tumulluously together, causing cha- 
riots to break and overthrow chariots, 
and horses and men to be mingled 
in their fall in wild confusion. It 
was not so much the bold and unex- 



52 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



the sword before Barak ; so that 
Sisera lighted down off his cha- 
riot, and fled away on his feet. 

16 But Barak pursued after 
the chariots, and after the host, 
unto Harosheth of the Gentiles : 

pected charge of Barak that produc- 
ed this effect, as a supernatural panic, 
a terror from God, that seized their 
spirits, threw them into irretrievable 
confusion, and made them an easy 
prey to the sword. It is said ch. 5. 
20, that ' the stars from heaven fought 
against Sisera,' and Josephus gives I 
the following very probable account 
of the terrific scene. ' When they 
were come to a close fight, there 
came down from heaven a great 
storm, with a vast quantity of rain 
and hail, and the wind blew the rain 
in the face of the Canaanites, and so 
darkened their eyes, their arrows and 
slings were of no advantage to them ; 
nor would the coldness of the air 
permit the soldiers to make use of 
their swords, while this storm did 
not so much incommode the Israel- 
ites, because it came on their backs. 
They also took such courage upon 
the apprehension that God was as- 
sisting them, that they fell upon the 
very midst of their enemies, and slew 
a great number of them, so that some 
of them fell by the Israelites, some 
fell by their own horses, which were 
put into disorder, and not a few were 
killed by their own chariots.' Ant. 

B. v., ch. 5. IT Sisera lighted 

down — and fled away on his feet. 
To guard more effectually against 
being discovered. Had he fled in 
his chariot he would have been lia- 
ble to be recognized and taken or 
slain. ' His chariots had been his 
pride and his confidence ; and we 



and all the host of Sisera fell 
upon the edge of the sword ; 
and there was not a man left. 

17 Howbeit, Sisera fled away 
on his feet to the tent of Jael 
the wife of Heber the Kenite : 



may suppose that he had therefore 
despised and defied the armies of the 
living God, because they were all on 
foot, and had neither chariot nor 
horse, as he had; justly therefore is 
he made ashamed of his confidence, 
and forced to quit it, and thinks him- 
self then most safe and easy when 
he has got clear of his chariot. 
Thus they are disappointed who rest 
on the creature.' Henry. 

16. Fell upon the edge of the sword. 
Rather, fell by the edge of the sword, 

IT There icas not a man left. Heb. 

"JlTO IS *W®^ &0) lo nisher ad ahod, 
there was not left unto one. Jose- 
phus says that Sisera's army on this 
occasion consisted of three hundred 
thousand footmen, ten thousand 
horsemen, and three thousand char- 
iots. Of these only nine hundred 
may have been iron chariots, as 
stated by the sacred historian. 

17. To the tent of Jael, the wife of 
Heber the Kenite. That is, probably, 
to Jael's apartment of the tent, the 
harem, the women's quarters. ' We 
must consider these Kenites as Arabs, 
and estimate their proceedings accord- 
ingly. Sisera's claim on Jael, in the 
absence of Heber, was perfectly pro- 
per. When a stranger comes to an 
Arab camp, where he has no ac- 
quaintance, he proceeds to the first 
tent, and if the proprietor is absent, 
his wife and daughters are not only 
authorised, but required, to perform 
the duties of hospitality to him. As 
a character for liberal hospitality is 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



53 



for there was peace between Ja- 
bin the king of Hazor and the 
house of Heber the Kenite. 

an actual distinction of an Arab, no 
one can with honor repel from the 
tent a stranger who claims hospitali- 
ty, nor, in ordinary circumstances, 
docs any one desire to do so; on the 
contrary, there is rather a disposition 
to contend who shall enjoy the privi- 
lege of granting him entertainment. 
In the present instance Sisera's ap- 
plication to the tent of the Sheikh, 
whose privilege it more especially 
was to entertain strangers, was in 
the common course of things. As 
belonging to a friendly people, Sise- 
ra'.- claim for protection was as valid 
as a common claim for hospitality, 
and could not be refused. Having 
once promised protection to a person, 
and admitted him to his tent, the 
Arab is bound, not only to conceal 
his guest, but to defend him, even 
with his life, from his pursuers ; and 
if his tent should be forced and his 
guest slain there, it is his duly to be- 
come the avenger of his blood. On 
these sentiments of honor Sisera 
seems to have relied; particularly 
after Jael had supplied him with re- 
freshments, winch, in the highest 
sense, are regarded as a seal to the 
covenant of peace and safety : and 
in fact, after all this an Arab would 
be bound to protect with his own life 
even his bitterest enemy, to whom 
he may inadvertently have granted 
his protection. It is probable that 
Jael introduced Sisera for safety into 
the inner or woman's part of the tent. 
Tin- --he might do without improprie- 
ty, although it would be the most 
grievous insult for any man to intrude 
there without permission. Sisera ap- 



18 H And Jael went out to 
meet Sisera, and said unto him, 
Turn in, my lord, turn in to me ; 



pears to have felt quite certain that 
the pursuers would not dare search 
the harem, and indeed it is almost 
certain that they would not have 
done so ; for the Hebrews had too 
long and too recently been themselves 
a nomade people, not to have known 
that a more heinous and inexpiable 
insult could not be offered to the 
neutral Kenite Emir, than to disturb 
the sanctity of his harem, or even to 
enter, unpermitted, the outer part of 
his tent We very much doubt 
whether they would have ventured, 
even if they had been certain that 
Sisera was there, to have entered to 
kill him, or take him thence, while 
under Heber's protection. This is an 
answer to Bp. Patrick, who would 
have recommended Jael not to have 
been so hasty to act herself, but to 
have waited till the pursuers came 
and took him. They could not take 
him, or even search for him, without 
inflicting on Heber a dishonor worse 
than death ; neither could Jael have 
given him up to them without bring- 
ing everlasting infamy upon her fam- 
ily and tnbe.'Pict. Bible. IT There 

was peace between Jabin — and the 
house of Heber. That is, there was 
no war; not that there was any league 
offensive or defensive between them, 
but they were not, like the Israelites, 
objects of hostility to Jabin. The 
Kenites, though they were proselytes 
and worshipped the true God accord- 
ing to the Mosaic law, yet as they 
were strangers by birth and laid 
claim to no inheritance in the prom- 
ised land, they seem to have deemed 
I it the best policy, in the midst of the 



54 

fear not. 
turned in 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



And when he had 
unto her into the 



contentions around them, to preserve 
a strict neutrality and maintain peace, 
as far as possible, both with the Is- 
raelites and the Canaanites ; and as 
their quiet, harmless way of life ex- 
empted them from suspicion, Jabin 
appears to have offered them no mo- 
lestation. It was doubtless on these 
grounds that Sisera thought of taking 
refuge among them, not considering, 
says Henry, that though they them- 
selves did not suffer by Jabin's pow- 
er, yet they heartily sympathized 
with God's Israel that did. 

18. Turn in, my lord, turn in to me. 
Perhaps no more appropriate com- 
ment can be furnished on these words, 
than the following extract from Po- 
cocke, giving an account of the man- 
ner in which he was treated in an 
Arab tent on his journey to Jerusa- 
lem : — £ My conductor led me two or 
three miles to his tent, and there he 
sat with his wife and others round a 
fire. The Arabs are not so scrupulous 
as the Turks about their women; 
and though they have their harem, 
or women's part of the tent, yet such 
as they are acquainted with come 
into it. I was kept in the harem for 
greater security ; the wife being al- 
ways with me, no person even dar- 
ing to come into the same apartment 
unless introduced by her.' Jael in- 
vited Sisera to take refuge in her 
own tent, or in her division of her 
husband's tent, into which no stran- 
ger might presume to enter, and 
where he naturally supposed himself 
to be in perfect safety. There is un- 
doubtedly an apparent treachery in 
the conduct of Jael on this occasion, 
but the probability is that she was 



tent, she covered him with a 
mantle. 



moved by a divine impulse to execute 
the deed she did. At first, indeed, on 
inviting him into the tent, she may 
have intended no more than the or- 
dinary hospitalities which the Orien- 
tals have ever been accustomed to 
show to strangers and travellers, nor 
is it certain that she was even aware 
who he was, till after he had entered 
the tent. When she had ascertained 
this, the most natural conclusion cer- 
tainly is, reasoning from the nature 
of woman, that she would have suf- 
fered him to lie still till Barak, who 
was on the pursuit, had come up, or 
would in some way have communi- 
cated information of his hiding-place 
to the Israelites. To fall upon him 
herself, unaided and alone, would 
appear to have been an exploit sur- 
passing female fortitude, and would 
have been a conduct so decidedly 
and pointedly opposed to all the prin- 
ciples of honor by which Orientals 
are governed, that we know not how 
to account for it, unless she had been 
prompted by a suggestion from 
above, and this inference would 
seem to be confirmed, both by the 
fact that it had been expressly pre- 
dicted that Sisera should be deliver- 
ed into the hand of a woman, and by 
the eulogium of Deborah, ch. 5. 24 } 
' Blessed above women shall Jael 
the wife of Heber the Kenite be, 
blessed shall she be above women in 
the tent,' on which see note. If this 
were the case, she is sufficiently vin- 
dicated by the fact, for God has a 
right to dispose of the lives of his 
creatures as he pleases, as we see in 
the case of Eglon, in the preceding 
chapter; and probably the cup of 



B. V. 1296.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



55 



19 And he said unto her, Give 
me, I pray thee, a little water 
to drink ; for I am thirsty. And 
she opened x a bottle of milk, 
and gave him drink, and covered 
him. 

20 Again he said unto her, 
Stand in the door of the tent, 
and it shall be, when any man 

x ch. 5. 25. 



Sisera's iniquity was full, and his 
life already forfeited to divine jus- 
tice. On the whole, therefore, the 
presumption is, that Jael did right, 
yet as the case was wholly extraor- 
dinary, ft can never be established as 

a precedent for others. TT Covered 

him with a mantle. Or, a quilt, rug, 
or blanket. 

19. Opened a bottle of milk and 
gave him drink. As if this were a 
more palatable draught than water. 
By thus doing more for him than he 
requested, she evinced a kinder care 
for his comfort, and increased his 
confidence and security. Josephus 
says it was ' sour milk,' which is not 
unlikely, as that is considered in the 
East a very grateful and cooling 
drink. See on ch. 5. 25. 

20. Thou shall say, No. It does 
not appear, however, that Jael prom- 
ised to deny his being there. Our 
regard for others may prompt us to 
many acts of kindness for them, but 
there is a point beyond which we 
must not go. A fearer of God will 
not listen to a request that would in- 
volve the commission of sin, espe- 
cially the sin of falsehood. The cus- 
tom adopted in some families of in- 
structing servants to say, ' Not at 
home.' when a master or mistress 
does not wish to receive company, is 
directly at variance with the dictates 



doth come and inquire of thee, 
and say, Is there any man here ? 
that thou shalt say, No. 

21 Then Jael Heber's wife 
y took a nail of the tent, and 
took an hammer in her hand, 
and went softly unto him, and 
smote the nail into his temples, 
and fastened it into the ground : 

y ch. 5.26. 



of Christian simplicity and sincerity, 
nor is it any thing in its favor that 
it here has the sanction of a wicked, 
heathen warrior, doomed to destruc- 
tion. The practice of prevarication 
thus inculcated upon servants, may 
be expected to react upon those who 
employ them : for if they are taught 
to lie for others, they will be very apt 
to do it for themselves. 

21. Took a nail of the tent. One 
of those long sharp pins or spikes 
which were driven into the ground, 
and to which cords were attached to 
stretch the cloth of the tent, and keep 
it firml} r secured. They were proba- 
bly made of iron ; Josephus calls this 
an ' iron nail.' Shaw, describing the 
tents of the Bedouin Arabs, says, 
' these tents are kept firm and steady, 
by bracing or stretching down their 
eaves with cords tied down to hooked 
wooden pins, well pointed, which 
they drive into the ground with a 
mallet ; one of these pins answering 
to the nail, as the mallet does to the 
hammer, which Jael used in fasten- 
ing to the ground the temples of Sise- 
ra.' If Took a hammer in her hand. 

Heb. rrpn rttpfrn na &©m vaita- 

sem elh-hammakebeth beyadah, put an 
hammer in her hand. As tents were 
often moved, she had probably ac- 
quired an expertness in the use of 
the implements necessary for fasten- 



56 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



for he was fast asleep, and wea- 1 
ry. So he died. 

22 And behold, as Barak pur- 
sued Sisera, Jael came out to 
meet him, and said unto him, 
Come, and I will show thee the 
man whom thou seekest. And 
when he came into her tent, be- 
hold, Sisera lay dead, and the 
nail was in his temples. 

ing and unfastening them. %And 

fastened it into the ground. Heb. 
' and it went down, penetrated, to the 
ground.' The verb is neuter, and 
should be referred to the pin rather 
than to Jael. 

23. Subdued — Jabin the king of 
Canaan. There is in the original 
an apparent paranomasia, or play 
upon words, of which the English 
reader entirely loses sight. The 
Heb. word for ' subdue,' and that for 
* Canaan, 7 are from the same root ; 
as if it were said, ' he humbled the 
son of humiliation ;' he made good 
the destiny of subjugation implied in 
the very name ' Canaan.' 

24. Prospered and prevailed. Heb. 
mZJpl -p^n ^im vattelek haldk ve- 
kashahj going, went, and was hard. 
On the use of the verb ' to go, or to 
walk,' for the gradual increase or 
progression of any thing., see on Gen. 
3. 8. From this event was to be 
dated the complete deliverance of 
Israel from the yoke of Jabin. Hav- 
ing suffered so severely by their 
guilty and foolish forbearance to- 
wards their enemies, they now re- 
solve to tolerate them no longer, but 
to make an effectual riddance of them, 
as a people to whom no mercy was 
to be shown without equally offend- 
ing God and endangering their own 
interests. It was probably with an 



23 So z God subdued on that 
day Jabin the king of Canaan 
before the children of Israel. 

24 And the hand of the child- 
ren of Israel prospered, and pre- 
vailed against Jabin the king of 
Canaan, until they had destroyed 
Jabin king of Canaan. . 

z Ps. 18. 47. 



eye to the judicial sentence under 
which these devoted nations lay, that 
this formidable enemy in the space 
of two verses is three times called 
' king of Canaan ;' for as such he was 
to be destroyed, and so thoroughly 
was he destroyed, that the title ' king 
of Canaan,^ occurs not again in the 
subsequent narrative. 



CHAPTER V. 
The subject matter of the present 
chapter is the triumphal song, sung 
by Deborah and Barak, on occasion 
of the signal victory above recorded 
of the forces of Israel over the 
armies of Jabin and Sisera. The 
spirit of prophecy is nearly allied to 
the spirit of poetry, and when the 
efforts of genius are heightened by 
the promptings of inspiration, we may 
reasonably look for results that shall 
distance all human competition. Nor 
in the present instance shall we look 
in vain. Considered merely as a 
specimen of lyric composition, this 
ode of Deborah may challenge com- 
parison with the finest effusions of 
the classic muse of any age or coun- 
try. Though occasionally obscure 
in the original, and in the English 
translation, in some instances, scarce- 
ly intelligible, yet it evidently breathes 
the highest spirit of poetry. Its 
strains are ] ofty and impassioned, its 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



57 



CHAPTER V. 
^T^HEiS "sang Deborah and 
-■- Barak the son of Abinoam 
on that day, saying, 

images bold, varied, and lively, its 
diction singularly happy, and it is 
pervaded throughout by a vein of 
mingled beauty and sublimity to be 
ibund in the bards of inspiration only. 
Borne away by the ecstacy and en- 
ergy of the divine impulse, she breaks 
forth in the most abrupt and impas- 
sioned appeals and personifications; 
at one moment, soaring upwards to- 
wards heaven, and then returning to 
earth; now touching upon the pre- 
sent, and now upon the past; and 
finally closing with the grand prom- 
ise and result of all prophecy, and of 
all the dealings of God's providence, 
the overthrow of the wicked, and the 
triumph of the good. In arranging 
the course and connexion of the 
thoughts in the poem, the following 
divisions may be easily and naturally 
traced. 

(1) A devout thanksgiving for the 
burst of patriotic feeling, which led 
the nation to arise and revenge their 
wrongs, with a summons to the hea- 
then kings to listen to her song of 
triumph over their allies, v. 1-3. 

(2) A description of the magnifi- 
cent scenes at mount Sinai, and in 
the plains of Edom, when the Most 
High manifested himself in behalf 
of his people, exerting his miraculous 
power to bring them into the prom- 
ised land. v. 4, 5. 

3 A graphic sketch of the degra- 
dation and oppression under which 
the nation groaned in consequence 
of their apostasy, the insecurity of 
travelling, and desertion of the villa- 
ges during a twentv years' servitude. 
v. 6-8. 



2 Praise ye the Lord for the 
"avenging of Israel, c when the 

a See Ex. 15. 1. Ps. 18. title, b p s . 18. 47. 
o 2 Chron. 17. 16. 



(4) The contrast to this exhibited 
in their present happy stale of secu- 
rity from the incursions and depre- 
dations of their enemies, especially 
at the watering places, which were 
most exposed, and a vivid invocation 
to herself and Barak, as well as 
others, to join in a song of praise and 
triumph to the Author of their de- 
liverance, v. 9-13. 

(5) A commendation of such of the 
tribes as volunteered on the occasion, 
and a stern rebuke of those which 
ignobly remained at home. v. 14-18. 

(6) A glowing description of the 
battle, and an invocation of curses on 
the inhabitants of Meroz, for not 
coming up to the help of their breth- 
ren in the time of their extremity, 
v. 19-23. 

(7) A eulogy upon Jael, with a 
vivid description of the circumstances 
of Sisera's death, v. 24-27. 

(8) A highly poetical change in 
the imagery, in which the mother of 
Sisera is introduced in anxious im- 
patience for her son's return, and 
confidently anticipating the success- 
ful issue of the engagement ; con- 
cluding with a solemn apostrophe to 
God. praying that all his enemies 
may perish in like manner, and ex- 
pressing the assurance that all that 
love him shall at last gloriously tri- 
umph, v. 28-31. 

1. Then sang Deborah, and Barak. 
Heb. pnm rmm *Wth vattasar 
Deborah u-Barak, then sang she, 
Deborah, and Barak. The verb is 
in the fem. sing, in order to give the 
precedency to Deborah, as is also the 
case in the song of Miriam, Num. 



58 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296 



people willingly offered them- 
selves. 
3 d Hear, O ye kings ; give 

d Deut. 32. 1, 3. Ps. 2. 10. 



12. 1. It is not, perhaps, necessary 
to suppose that Deborah and Barak 
were the only singers on this occa- 
sion. The probability is, that it was 
composed by Deborah, and sung un- 
der her and Barak's direction, by the 
assembled hosts of Israel, or by a 
choir of priests and Levites, shortly 
after the victory. The phrase 'on 
that day,' does not necessarily restrict 
us to the precise day of the battle, but 
according to Heb. usage may imply 
simply ' about that time.' 

2. Praise ye the Lord. Heb. "d^D 
m!~P bareku Yehovah, bless ye the 
Lord; i. e. by suitable ascriptions of 

praise and thanksgiving. *ft For 

the avenging of Israel. The inter- 
pretation of the original phrase is at- 
tended with great difficulties. With- 
out attempting to exhibit at length 
the various modes of rendering 

lopted by different commentators, 
it may be sufficient to remark, that 
the several ideas of delivering, of 
avenging, of commanding and lead^- 
ing in war, have had their respective 
advocates among them. We know 
of no guide to the true sense but that 
of prevailing usage, and even that is 
not easily ascertained. We believe, 
however, that it will be found by 
accurate analysis, that the leading 
idea of the verb 3H& para, is to free, 
to let loose, to let break away, as the 
locks of hair, when the head-gear is 
taken off, or a licentious people, when 
the restraints of law and order are 
removed, and thence by natural de- 
rivation, to make naked, to uncover, 
and also to exempt, to make one clear 



ear, O ye princes ; I, even I, 
will sing unto the Lord ; I will 
sing praise to the Lord God of 
Israel. 



of. In nearly every instance in which 
the word occurs, the idea of loosing, 
getting, or setting free, exemption, is 
someway involved, and perhaps the 
most correct rendering, in the present 
passage, would be, For the freeing 
of freedoms, or, For the breaking away 
of emancipations, i. e. for the suc- 
cessful efforts of the people to extri- 
cate themselves from the yoke of 
their oppressors, praise ye the Lord. 
The predominant import is that of 
breaking away from bonds, and this 
idea falls in very naturally with that 
of the parallel clause, viz. of offering 
themselves willingly, in order to 
effect their deliverance ; and as the 
act of a people in asserting their free- 
dom, can hardly be conceived of as 
separate from that of punishing their 
oppressors, it is probable that the 
sense of avenging has been in this 
way not unnaturally affixed by inter- 
preters to the original term. The 
error, however, in our translation, is 
in referring directly to God, what is 
really represented as the acting of 

the people. IT Of Israel. Heb. 

^^TL^a be-Yisrael, in Israel; i.e. 
among the Israelites. 

3. Hear, O ye kings, &c. The 
kings and princes here addressed 
may be understood of the princes of 
Israel, and then it is merely a decla- 
ration to them, that the prophetess is 
about to begin a song of triumph, in 
which it is implied that they should 
join. But as kings would seem to be 
too lofty a title to be applied to the 
leaders and elders of Israel, even in 
the elevated style of poetry, the pre- 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



59 



4 Lord, e when thou wentest 
Out of Seir, when thou march- 
edst out of the field of Edom, 



Dent. 33. 2. r= 



ferable interpretation is to regard it 
as an address to the kings and poten- 
tates of Canaan, summoning their 
attention to the song of triumph 
about to be celebrated over them. 
The Greek version renders it, 'Hear, 
O kings, and give ear, O satraps ;' 
the Chaldee, ' Attend, ye kings, who 
came to the war with Siscra, and ye 
rulers, who were with Jabin, king 
of Canaan;' which shows that they 
understood the word as referring to 
foreign princes, and thus the very 
same terms are used, Ps. 2. 2. The 
import of the latter clause is, that ' I, 
even I, a feeble woman, celebrate 
your overthrow,' and her leading 
drift is to admonish them, that how- 
ever high and mighty they may deem 
themselves, yet there is one above 
them with whom it is folly to contend, 
and to whom they should be warned 
by Sisera's fate to submit without 
daring hereafter to offer insult to a 
people, whose cause sooner or later 
omnipotence would plead. 

4. Wlien thou wentest out of Seir. 
After declaring that Jehovah should 
be the object of her praise, the pro- 
phetess, by a sudden apostrophe, ad- 
dresses him not as their present de- 
liverer, but as the God who had for- 
merly manifested his miraculous 
power in their behalf, while on the 
way from Egypt to the land of pro- 
mise. By comparing the former sig- 
nal displays of the divine majesty 
with the present, she would have her 
hearers infer that it was the same 
power that had now subdued their en- 



f the earth trembled, and the 
heavens dropped, the clouds 
also dropped water. 

f 2 Sam. 22. 8. Ps. 68. 8. lsai. 64. 3. 
Hab. 3. 3, 10. 



emies, which prostrated them then ; 
that it was the same goodness which 
had now restored to them the free 
enjoyment of their land, that had at 
first put them in possession of it. The 
phrases, ' when thou wentest out of 
Seir,' and ' when thou marchedst out 
of the field of Edom/ are merely an 
instance of poetic parallelism, Seir 
and Edom denoting the same coun- 
try ; that is to say, the mountainous 
region stretching from the southern 
extremity of the Dead Sea south- 
wards towards the Elanitic gulf. 
Here, however, as well as Deut. 33. 
2, it appears to be taken in a wider 
sense as including mount Sinai, the 
scene of the giving of the law, and 
of the grand and awful displays of 
the majesty of Jehovah by which it 
was accompanied, to which Deborah 
here alludes. Not that her descrip- 
tion, in this and the ensuing verse, 
is to be confined to the sublime spec- 
tacle witnessed on thatoccasion. The 
scope of her language seems to be to 
portray, in the most glowing and po- 
etic imagery, the general course of 
the divine manifestations in behalf 
of Israel, the convulsions of nature 
and the consternation of the inhabit- 
ants, while the Most High was con- 
ducting his people miraculously 
through the desert to put them in pos- 
session of their promised inheritance. 
These exhibitions of God's glory 
did, as it u-ere, make the earth to 
tremblp, the heavens to drop like 
snow before the sun, and the moun- 
tains to melt; and accordingly we 



60 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



5 g The mountains melted from 
before the Lord, even h that 
Sinai from before the Lord God 
of Israel. 

g Deut. 4. 11. Ps. 97. 5. h Ex. 19. 18. 



find the same general imagery em- 
ployed in other portions of inspired 
song, as Ps. 18. 8, and 68. 8, and 144. 
5; Deut. 33. 2 ; Is. 64. 1-3 ; Hab. 3. 
6, in some of which the present des- 
cription is adopted almost word for 
word. It seems, in fact, to have been 
a customary beginning of Hebrew 
songs of triumph. 

5. The mountains melted. Heb. 
I^H nazelu, flowed doion ; as if 
melted by the flames, in which, we 
learn Ex. 19. 18, that the sacred 
mountain was enveloped, so that it 
ran down in streams. Others, from 
the general usage of the original, 
suppose that allusion is had to tre- 
mendous storms of rain, which pour- 
ed down the mountain sides in such 
torrents, bearing soil, rocks, and 
trees with them, that the mountains 
themselves might be figuratively said 
to flow down. It does not appear 
very obvious, however, how this can 
apply to mount Sinai, where fire and 
not water was the predominant ele- 
ment. It is worthy of remark, in 
regard to this expression, that with 
the exception of the Vulgate, which 
has diflluxerunl, flowed, all the an- 
cient versions take the original from 
another root (b^T zalal, instead of 
)jW nazal,) and render it were shaken, 
agitated, made to tremble. Thus the 
Gr., Chal., Arab., and Syr., and this 
rendering is confirmed by Is. 64. 1 
3, ' that the mountains might flow 
down;' where the Heb. (1^?3 nazollu) 
undoubtedly signifies to quake, though 
our English version, contrary to all 



6 In the days of ! Shamgar the 
son of Anath, in the days of 
k Jael, r the highways were un- 

i ch. 3. 31. k ch. 4. 17. 

authority, gives it the sense of melt- 
ing. See Gesenius on the above 
roots. 

6. In the days of Shamgar. After 
thus celebrating the majesty of Jeho- 
vah in his former appearances, the 
prophetess, in order to give her peo- 
ple a livelier sense of their deliver- 
ance, and excite them to greater 
thankfulness, turns to depict the for- 
lorn and degraded state to which Is- 
rael had previously been reduced ; 
their highways deserted ; their vil- 
lages depopulated ; their cities block- 
ed up; their country overrun with 
the enemies' soldiers; themselves 
disarmed and dispirited, helpless 
and hopeless, till it pleased God to 
look upon them with compassion, 
and raise up Deborah for a deliverer. 

IT In the days of Joel. She is 

mentioned by way of honorable tes- 
timonial by the side of a distinguish- 
ed man, and in connexion with an 
important epoch, because from her 
recent achievement, she no doubt at 
this time stood very conspicuous be- 
fore the eyes of the nation. Still 
though these were illustrious char- 
acters, yet no complete deliverance 
was effected for Israel till Deborah 
arose. TlTAe highways were unoc- 
cupied. Heb. mm& l^in hadelu 
orahoth, the highways ceased. That 
is, ceased to be occupied ; they were 
abandoned by travellers, on account 
of their being beset by plundering 
hordes of their enemies. The same 
idea is expressed Is. 33. 8, ' The 
highways lie waste, the way- faring 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



61 



occupied, 1 and the travellers 
walked through by-ways. 

7 The inhabitants of the vil- 
lages ceased, they ceased in 
Israel, until that I Deborah 

l Lev. 26. 22. 2 Chron. 15. 5. Isai. 33. 8. 

Lam. 1.4, and 4. IS. 



man ceaseth.' ^Travellers. ' Heb. 

------ ^v-j foiefcg netkibolh, walk- 
ers of paths. The original for 'paths,' 
usually means an elevated, beaten 
road. Here it seems to designate 
the open public roads, in distinction 
from the obscure and crooked by-v:ays 
which travellers were now compelled 
to lake. 

7. The inhabitants of the villages 
ceased. Heb. "pPlS "OITi hadelu 
perdzon, the village ceased; col. sing. 
for plur. In other words, the villa- 
ges were deserted. The tillers of 
the soil scattered in villages over the 
country were obliged to forsake their 
farms and houses, and seek shelter 
for themselves in walled cities and 
fortified places. Chald. ' the un wal- 
led towns were desolate.' ' There are 
roads in these countries, but it is 
very easy to turn out of them, and 
go to a place by winding about over 
the lands, when that is thought safer. 
The account Bishop Pocock gives 
of the manner in which the Arab, 
under whose care he had put him- 
self, conducted him to Jerusalem, 
illustrates this with pertinency, which 
iiis lordship tells us was by night, 
and not by the high-road, but through 
the fields: " and I observed," says he, 
" that he avoided as much as he could 
going near any village or encamp- 
ment, and sometimes stood still, as I 
thought, to hearken." Just in that 
manner people were obliged to travel 
in Judea, in the days of Shamgar 
and Jael.' Harmer. It is proper to 
6 



arose, that I arose m a mother in 
Israel. 

8 They " chose new gods ; 
then was war in the gates : "was 



m Isai. 49. 23. » Deut. 32. 16. ch. 2. 12, 
17. o So 1 Sam. 13. 19, 22. ch. 4. 3. 



be remarked, however, that Gesenius 
and several other critics of distinction, 
render the original word by ' cham- 
pions.' or 'chiefs,' instead of villages, 
and that too upon very probable 
grounds. The Gr. version also has 
Si'vdroi, mighty men. This agrees very 

well with the words that follow. 

%A mother in Israel. A benefactress ; 
so termed from her services towards 
her people. As a deliverer of his 
country is called the father of it, so 
Deborah is here called a mother in 
Israel. 

8. They chose nevj Gods. Strange 
or foreign gods; that is, they addict- 
ed themselves to idolatry. They not 
only submitted to it when forced upon 
them, but they chose it. Compare 
Deut. 32. 17, ' They sacrificed unto 
devils, and not to God ; to gods whom 
they knew not, to new gods that came 
newly up, whom your fathers knew 
not.' This was the procuring cause 
of all their trouble. They forsook 

God. and God forsook them. 

^iTheii was war in the gates. Heb. 
d^^E tn^ T& az la'hem shearim, 
a besieging of the gates ; or, as Kim- 
chi renders it, ' a besieger or assault- 
er of the gates.' Chal. 'the nations 
came against them and expelled them 
from their cities.' The evident im- 
plication is, that w 7 hen they lapsed 
into idolatry they involved them- 
selves in every species of calamity, 
and were harassed with wars within 
the precincts of their towns and cit- 
ies. As the gates, moreover, were the 



62 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



there a shield or spear seen 
among forty thousand in Israel ? 
9 My heart is toward the gov- 
ernors of Israel that p ottered 

pver. 2. 



places where their courts of judica- 
ture were held, the continual incur- 
sions of the enemy deprived the ma- 
gistrate of the dignity, and the people 
of the benefit of government, There 
being no peace to him that went or 
him that came in, the stated adminis- 
tration of justice was effectually bro- 
ken up. HWas there a shield or 

spear seen among forty thousand in 
Israel? An interrogation strongly im- 
plying a negative. To such a state 
were they reduced that there was 
scarcely a shield or spear seen among 
40,000 Israelites. The number speci- 
fied is not to be considered as including 
the whole military force of Israel, 
but the speaker simply gives a round 
number, and by poetical amplifica- 
tion a very large one, among whom 
no arms were to be found ; in order to 
indicate more strongly the destitu- 
tion of the Israelites in this respect. 
From 1 Sam. 13. 19-22, some have 
inferred that their enemies had ac- 
tually disarmed the subject tribes, 
and that it was to this that their des- 
titution was owing. But this hypo- 
thesis is but little consonant with 
intrinsic probability, or with other 
circumstances alluded to in the nar- 
rative. Barak is said, ch. 4. 6, 10, 
to have taken 10,000 men with him 
to mount Tabor, and who will sup- 
pose that they went thither unpro- 
vided with arms "\ especially when 
we are informed, v. 15, 16, that the 
hosts of Sisera perished ' with the 
edge of the sword before Barak,' so 
there was not a man left. The ex- 



themselves willingly among the 
people: Bless ye the Lord. 
10 q Speak, ye r that ride on 

q Ps. 105. 2, and 145. 5. r ch. 10. 4, and 
12. 14. 



pression of Deborah therefore is 
merely a poetic hyperbole. 

9. My heart is toward the governors, 
&c. Heb. D-ipJpjrft le'hokekim, the 
lawgivers. After describing the bon- 
dage of Israel, and its effects upon 
the courage of the people, the pro- 
phetess, by a natural transition, re* 
peats her exclamations of gratitude 
to the princes and the people, that 
they had at length risen and triumph- 
ed. Her heart was especially drawn 
out in sentiments of love and honor 
towards those heads of the tribes, 
who had so nobly come forward in 
the hour of need, and by their ex- 
ample aroused and stimulated their 
countrymen to throw off the yoke. 
They are called ' lawgivers,' not from 
their enacting new laws, which was 
never done in Israel, but from their 
giving sentence in causes that came 
before them, and administering jus- 
tice generally.- — —IT Bless ye the Lord. 
As it was the divine prompting that 
moved the leaders to the enterprise, 
she would not, in bestowing her com- 
mendations upon the instruments, 
lose sight of the Author of the 
blessing, and therefore calls upon 
the people at large to join her in a 
grateful song of praise. 

10. Speak. Rather, Heb. irpffi 
sihu, meditate, i. e. rehearse, cele- 
brate, a song of praise. IT That 

ride on while asses. Judea is a coun- 
try but little favorable to the produc- 
tion of horses, instead of which, asses 
were anciently in general use! Of 
these such as were of a whitish color 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



63 



white asses j s ye that sit in judg- 
ment, and walk by the way. 



s Ps. 107. 32. 



were probably the most rare and 
cost]}-, and therefore were used only 
by eminent persons. Some have 
supposed that they were so called 
from the white garments, or capari- 
sons spread over them j but it appears 
unnatural to ascribe the color of a 
covering to the creature that wears 
it. We do not call a man white or 
black, because he happens to be 
dressed in vestments of white or black 
cloth ; neither did the Hebrews. The 
expression naturally suggests the 
color of the animal itself, not of its 
trappings, and this is confirmed by 
the reports of travellers. ' White 
asses, according to Morier, come 
from Arabia; their scarcity makes 
them valuable, and gives them con- 
sequence. The men of the law count 
it a dignity, and suited to their cha- 
racter, to ride on asses of this color. 
As the Hebrews always appeared in 
white garments at their public festi- 
vals and on days of rejoicing, or 
when the courts of justice were held; 
so they naturally preferred white 
asses, because the color suited the 
occasion, and because asses of this 
color being more rare and costly, 
were more coveted by the great and 
wealthy. The same view is taken 
of this question by Lew r is, who says, 
the asses in Judea " were commonly 
of a red color; and therefore white 
asses were highly valued, and used 
by persons of superior note and quali- 
ty." ' Paxton. Compare ch. 12. 14. 
Gesenius remarks that the original 
term is not perhaps to be understood 
as signifying a pure white, but a 
light reddish color with white spots, 



1 1 They that are delivered from 
the noise of archers in the places 



as asses entirely white are rarely if 
ever found. The white color, it is 
well known, is highly prized by the 
Orientals, whether in asses, camels, 
or elephants, and such are usually 

the property of princes. IT Ye thai 

sit in judgment. So rendered by 
several of the older versions, but the 
phrase in the original is exceedingly 
difficult of interpretation. Later com- 
mentators, with much plausibility, 
derive the word from a root signify- 
ing to extend, to spread out, and un- 
derstand it of carpets, coverings, or the 
large outer garments of the Hebrews, 
which were frequentl3 r spread out 
and used for sleeping upon at night. 
Accordingly Prof. Robinson trans- 
lates the clause, 'Ye that recline on 
splendid carpets.' But after all the 
researches of philologists, some doubt 
will still remain as to the true import 

of the original. TT Ye that walk by 

the way. Ye who can safely travel 
in the public highways, now no lon- 
ger infested by prowling banditti. 
The allusion is perhaps to traffickers 
of various descriptions, or to the hum- 
bler classes, who were much upon 
the public roads, but who seldom 
rode ; so that the poet's invocation is 
to the nobles, the wealthy, and the poor, 
or, in other words, to the whole na- 
tion, to join in the song of triumph. 
They were now, as the fruits of the 
recent victory, enjoying a happy se- 
curity, directly the reverse of their 
former oppressed and calamitous con- 
dition, and nothing was more proper, 
than that they should celebrate in 
thankful strains the praises of their 
divine deliverer. It may be remark- 



64 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



of drawing water, there shall 
they rehearse the l righteous acts 



t 1 Sam. 12. 7. 



Ps. 145. 7. 



ed that the Syr. and Arab, versions 
render the two clauses by, ' Ye that 
sit at home, and ye that walk by the 
way.' 

11. From the noise of the archers in 
the places of drawing water. Heb. 

tnnarofc yia a-issna >ip& mikkoi 

me'hatzim ben mashabbim, from the 
voice of the dividers at the watering- 
troughs. It would be easy, but of 
little use, to heap together an im- 
mense variety of renderings, pro- 
posed by different expositors, of this 
very perplexing passage. The diffi- 
culty arises principally from the 
word ti^SShta me'hatzim, translated 
1 archers,' which occurs only here, 
and of which lexicographers are un- 
able to determine the exact root. If 
it be a denominative from yn lietz, 
an arrow, its meaning here is un- 
doubtedly ' archers ;' but if, as most 
modern philologists contend; it comes 
from the verb f^Fl, it has the import 
of dividing, although Gesenius says 
that yn an arrow, comes from this 
root, and is so called from its divid- 
ing or cleaving the air. According 
to this interpretation, the d^lSnto 
me'hatzim are either the victorious 
warriors returning laden with booty, 
and halting at the watering-places to 
divide the spoil with songs of rejoic- 
ing, or the shepherds who can now, 
with cheerful carols, securely drive 
their flocks and herds to water, divid- 
or marshalling them 



vug, 

as they please. Which of these two 
senses is the correct one it is not per- 
haps possible absolutely to determine. 
Either will suit well the connexion, 
provided the original for ' from' be ren- 



of the Lord, even the righteous 
acts toward the inhabitants of 
his villages in Israel : then shall 

dered, as it properly may, ' at,' ' for,' 
' on account of.' The prophetess 
had just called upon all the people to 
join in a song, and she now declares 
the occasion ; ' Praise the Lord for 
or on account of the voice, the joyful 
cry, of those who divide at the wa- 
tering places.' It may be further re- 
marked by way of illustration, of the 
words, that as wells were very scarce 
in every part of the East, robbers and 
banditti, generally took their stations 
near tanks, pools, and springs, in or- 
der that they might suddenly fall 
upon those who came to drink ; and 
when the country was badly govern- 
ed, annoyances of this kind were 
very frequent. ' In open, unprotected 
lands of the East, the watering pla- 
ces are at this day the scenes of con- 
tinual conflict and oppression. To 
such places the necessity for water 
conducts different people, who cannot 
any where meet in peace. These 
parties of hostile tribes fall in with 
each other, and quarrel and fight ; 
and thither the natives of the wilds 
resort to plunder the parties of tra- 
vellers and merchants who come in 
search of water. In the deserts of 
Syria and Arabia, natives and stran- 
gers are thus annoyed near the wells, 
This therefore is the principal rea- 
son of war, — the neighborhoods of 
wells being the principal seats of war 
and depredation in those countries. 
Travellers also, knowing that such 
tribes are encamped near, or are like- 
ly to visit the wells, often dread to 
approach ihem, in the fenr of being 
plundered, if not also killed. For 
this reason we have known parties 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



65 



the people of the Lord go down 
to the gates. 

12 "Awake, awake, Deborah; 
awake, awake, utter a song : 
arise, Barak, and x lead thy cap- 

uPs. 57. 8. xPs,68. 18. 



tivity captive, thou son of Abi- 
noam. 

13 Then he made him that 
remaineth y have dominion over 
the nobles among the people : 

y Ps. 49. 14. 



of travellers, that were reduced to 
almost the last extremity for want of 
water in the parched deserts, oblig- 
ed to avoid the places where their 
wants might be satisfied, from hav- 
ing heard that parties of Arabs were 
encamped in the neighborhood ; and 
we have heard of others who from 
the same cause were obliged to go 
one or two days' journey out of their 
way, to one watering place, in pre- 
ference to another that lay directly in 
their way. JN T o travellers, unless in 
great force, dare encamp near a well, 
however pleasant and desirable it 
might be, from the fear of disagreea- 
ble visitors. They water their cattle, 
and replenish their waterskins in all 
haste, and then go and encamp at a 
distance from any roads leading to 
the well. Dr. Shaw mentions a beau- 
tiful rill in Barbary, which is receiv- 
ed into a large basin, called Shrub 
ice Krub ; that is, Drink and away, 
from the great danger of meeting 
there with robbers and assassins. 
With equal propriety, and for the 
same reason, almost every Oriental 
watering-place might be called Shrub 
v;e Krub.' Pict. Bible. The victory 
now gained put the whole country 
under their own government, and 
cleansed the land of these maraud- 
ers. Instead of such danger and in- 
security, Deborah here intimates that 
they may sit down unmolested at the 
places of drawing water, and there 
rehearse the righteous acts of the 
Lord ; the land being now in peace, 
6* 



and order and good government eve- 
rywhere restored. IT Go down to 

the gates. Shall repossess themselves 
of the cities and walled villages 
from which they had been expelled 
by their enemies ; they shall hence- 
forth have free access either in or 
out of the gates, as their occasions 
might require; and as it is well 
known that the gate was the place 
of judgment in the East, they should 
again resort in peace and safety to 
the stations where justice was admin- 
istered. 

12. Awake, awake, Deborah, &c. 
The prophetess here turns to her- 
self and Barak, the leaders and he- 
roes of the triumph, in a tone of ani- 
mated appeal and excitation. She 
calls upon herself to dictate a strain 
descriptive of the preparation and the 
conflict; and on Barak to lead forth 
his captives and display them in tri- 
umph before his countrymen. That 
such appeals to one's self are very 
common in Hebrew poetry is obvious 
from Ps. 42. 6, 12, and 103. 1 and 5, 

and 104. 1, and elsewhere. MLead 

thy captivity captive. Lead those 
captive who before held thee in cap- 
tivity. Comp. Ps. 68. 19 ; Eph. 4. 8. 

13. Made him that remained, &c. 
That is, then he (the Lord) made 
the dispirited remnant of the Israel- 
ites, who had survived the oppres- 
sion of their enemies, to obtain the 
ascendency over the nobles or chief- 
tains of the people of Canaan, and 
made me, who am but a feeble wo- 



66 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



the Lord made me have do- 
minion over the mighty. 

14 z Out of Ephraim was there 
a root of them a against Amalek ; 
after thee, Benjamin, among thy 

z ch. 3. 27. a ch. 3. 13. 



man, to have dominion over the 
mighty. 

14. Out of Ephraim was there a 
root of them against Amalek. The 
poetess begins here to enumerate and 
review the tribes which had joined 
the standard of Barak. In the account 
of this matter, ch. 4. 10, mention is 
made only of the tribes of Zebulun 
and Naphtali, but from the tenor of 
the song it is obvious that several 
other tribes, on hearing of the exi- 
gency of their brethren, immediately 
raised a levy and volunteered to go 
to their assistance. For this ready 
and generous proffer of their servi- 
ces, Deborah pays to them the first 
tribute of her thanks. The opening 
sentence of her commendation quot- 
ed above is replete with difficulty. 
Without adverting to the various 
renderings which have been proposed 
both by Jewish and Christian inter- 
preters, we shall give that which 
seems on the whole most probable. 
The clause is undoubtedly elliptical, 
and may be thus supplied ; — ' Out of 
Ephraim (came those) whose dwell- 
ing is in Amalek.' The original for 
' root' we take to be a poetic expres- 
sion for a fixed, firmly established 
seat or dwelling, just as nations tak- 
ing up their abode in a land are 
said to be planted in it, to take root 
in it, as Is. 27. 6, ' He shall cause 
them that come of Jacob to take rooV 
Comp. Ps. 80. 8, 9 ; Job 5. 3. If it 
be asked how Ephraim could be said 
to have dwelt or taken root in Ama- 



people ; out of b Machir came 
down governors, and out of Zeb- 
ulun they that handle the pen 
of the writer. 



b Num. 32. 39, 40. 



lek, since it is well known that the 
Amalekites inhabited the country to 
the south of Palestine between mount 
Seir and Egypt, the answer is drawn 
from ch. 12. 15, where it is said that 
' Abdon was buried in the land of 
Ephraim, in the mount of the Amale- 
kites.'' From this it is to be inferred 
that a colony of this people, who were 
related to the Kenites, had formerly 
migrated into the interior of the coun- 
try, and maintained itself among the 
Israelites of the tribe of Ephraim. In 
this way it could be said, that the 
Ephraimites, whose root, i. e. foun- 
dation, dwelling place, was among 
the Amalekites, on the mountain of 
that name, came forth to the war. 

^ After thee, Benjamin, among 

thy people. Rather, ' After thee, (O 
Ephraim, came) Benjamin, among 
thy peoples,' i.e. thy forces, thy hosts. 
By a sudden change of persons, com- 
mon to the poetic style, Ephraim is 
here addressed as present, and Ben- 
jamin, whose quota of men was pro- 
bably small, is spoken of as being in- 
corporated with it, instead of form- 
ing a distinct corps by itself. 

IT Out of Machir came down govern- 
or^. Machir was the son of Manas- 
seh, and the father of Gilead, Gen. 
50. 23 ; Num. 27. 1, and is here put 
for the tribe of Manasseh, that is, the 
half of that tribe which dwelt on the 
west of Jordan. The original for 
' governors,' (D^ppFlfa mc'hokekim,) 
is in effect the same with fi^pp)! 'Ao- 
kekim, lawgivers, v. 9, and is to be 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



67 



15 And the princes of Issachar 
were with Deborah ; even Issa- 
char, and also c Barak : he was 

understood of military leaders, expert 
and valiant chieftains, who promptly 
took the field at the head of their 

troops. *ROut of Zebulun they that 

handle the fen of the writer. There is 
something peculiarly incongruous in 
the idea of penmen coming down to 
a battle, nor is the rendering in fact 
warranted by the original. The 
Heb. term for ' handle,' fJCDBJTa me- 
shokim,) is the same with that occur- 
ring ch. 4. 6, respecting the tribes of 
Zebulun and Naphtali, and which 
we there endeavored to show, signi- 
fied to draw in the sense of enlisting. 
We take it in the same sense here ; 
implying those, who, as the emissa- 
ries of Barak, succeeded in drawing 
after them recruits. As to the instru- 
ment employed on this occasion, 
though our translators have rendered 
the Heb. tSSTS shebet by ' pen,' yet the 
word has no where else that signifi- 
cation throughout the Scriptures. Its 
genuine meaning is a rod, staff, or 
wand, and instead of the ' pen of the 
writer,' the correct version undoubt- 
edly is, 'with the rod of thenumber- 
er.' A definite number of men (10,- 
000) were by Deborah's orders, ch. 4. 
6, to be levied from these two tribes, 
and the doing of this is described by 
a metaphor, taken from the custom 
of shepherds in numbering, separat- 
ing, or selecting their sheep, by 
means of a rod besmeared with 
paint, with which they marked every 
fifth, tenth, or twentieth, as the case 
might be, as they came out of the 
outlet of their enclosure. See the 
process more particularly described 
in the note on Lev. 27. 32. 



sent on foot into the valley. 
For the divisions of Reuben 



c ch. 4. 14. 



15. The princes of Issachar were 
withDeborah. Or, Heb.^fiffiffi-O ^"1101 
sTG.1 t23> vesare be- Yissakar im De- 
borah, my princes in Issachar were 
with Deborah. She calls them ' my 
princes,' from the grateful esteem 
with which their services had in- 
spired her. IT Even Issachar, and 

also Barak. Rather, Heb. "DlZHDil 
p~Q "p ve- Yissakar ken Bat ak, and 
Issachar in like manner as Barak ; 
i. e. Issachar was equally prompt, 
ardent, and valiant in the good 
cause ; he marched forth with equal 

alacrity. IT Was sent on foot into 

the valley. Heb. Vfyra V&D shul- 
la'h beraglav, was sent with his feet. 
See Note on ch. 4. 10, 14. The mean- 
ing we suppose to be that, when Ba- 
rak was ordered to charge down the 
declivity of Tabor towards the val- 
ley, the men of Issachar followed 
with as much promptitude, as if all 
their feet had pertained to their lead- 
ers body. It may be remarked that 
the original word, rendered ' valley,' 
signifies also a low level plain, and 
thus the knowm. topography of the 
place requires that it should be ren- 
dered here. They descended from 
mount Tabor into the plain of Esdra- 
elon— At this point a transition is 
made to a new theme in the inspired 
song; viz. a rebuke of the recreant 
tribes, who refused to join their 
brethren and flock to the standard of 
Barak; and here v. 16 should pro- 
perly begin. IT For the divi- 
sions of Reuben. Heb. m^Sj) 
liphlaggolh, in or among the divi- 
sions. It is impossible to speak 
with confidence of the exact import 



68 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



there were great thoughts of 
heart. 

16 Why abodest thou d among 



of the word here rendered ' divisions.' 
It is perhaps designedly left ambigu- 
ous, as is not unusual with Scripture 
phrases, in order that it may be taken 
in greater latitude and fulness of 
meaning, and include the various 
senses of which it is susceptible. By 
some it is understood of the local 
division of Reuben from the rest of 
the tribes by the Jordan and other 
rivers; by others, of the classes or 
ranks into which the tribe was divid- 
ed ; and by others still, of the divided 
counsels, the conflicting opinions, of 
the Reubenites respecting the pro- 
priety of taking up arms on the occa- 
sion. The root from which the ori- 
ginal is derived, signifies to divide, 
to cleave, and the present term occurs 
Job 20. 17, in the sense of water- 
courses, or streams flowing in chan- 
nels. The most probable interpre- 
tation, therefore, if we mistake not, 
is that of Schnnrrer and others, who 
by the "' divisions of Reuben,' under- 
stand the ' streams of Reuben ;' i. e. 
the well- watered country of Reuben, 
a region fertilized by numerous 
creeks and small rivers. It will be 
recollected that Reuben dwelt on the 
east of Jordan and the Dead Sea, 
from the river Arnon northwards, 
and possessed part of the plain of 
the Jordan which, Gen. 12. 10, was 
' every where well watered ;' a region 
expressly celebrated, Num. 32. 1, for 
its rich pasturage, which necessarily 
implies the presence of springs and 
streams, After all, if any one is in- 
clined to construe the phrase in a 
pregnant sense, as comprising all the 
above senses of ( divisions,' we have 



the sheep-folds, to hear the 
Heatings of the flocks ? For 



<l Num. 32. 1. 



no objections to urge against it, nor 
do we hesitate to believe that a simi- 
lar mode of solving Scripture diffi- 
culties is in man} 7 instances the true 

one. IT Great thoughts of heart. 

The original for ' thoughts,' signifies 
resolvings, decisions, decrees, and the 
purport of the clause perhaps is, that 
the Reubenites at first heroically re- 
solved to join their countrymen, but 
afterwards recanted their purpose, 
and meanly stayed at home. This con- 
duct the prophetess first describes in a 
tone of apparent praise, which by a 
poetical artifice is converted into an 
ironical and cutting sarcasm. She 
intimates that their original resolu- 
tion and purpose was magnanimous ; • 
inquires why it was not fulfilled; 
why they preferred to remain at home 
and listen to the piping of the herds- 
men 1 She then repeats in effect 
her first sentence of approbation ; but 
in the ensuing verse, by the change 
of a single letter, Clpfi for ppn re- 
volvings for resolvings) she pro- 
nounces their noble resolutio-n to have 
been mere empty deliberation, amount- 
ing to nothing. 

16. Why abodest thou among the 
sheep-folds ? Bishop Horsley renders 
the original by ' hillocks,' instead of 
' sheep-folds,' and we are satisfied 
that he, of all other interpreters, has 
come nearest to the genuine scope of 
the speaker. He remarks, that the 
noun JQ^fl&tBta mishphetayim, is from 
the root H&IE shaphah, to stick up, to 
be prominent, and it is in the dual 
form. Hence the substantive may 
signify any gibbosity or prominence. 
It is used in Jacob's last words, to 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



69 



the divisions of Reuben there 

were great searchings of heart. 

17 e Gilead abode beyond Jor- 

e See Josh. 13. 25, 31. 



signify the two panniers of a laden 
ass lying down, and those panniers 
are the ridges of hills which were the 
boundaries of his territories. In like 
manner, we think, it is to be taken 
here to signify ' hills in double par- 
allel ridges.' Reuben is asked why 
he abode between dTlBiafa mishphe- 
tayim, to hear the bleatings of the 
flocks. And where shall any one 
abide to hear the bleatings of the 
flocks, but among hills, where flocks 
range 1 See also Note on Gen. 49. 
14. It is still possible that there may 
have been such a similarity in form 
between the stalls, or ranges of the 
Syrian folds or pinfolds for flocks, 
and parallel ranges of hills, as to 
render the same term applicable to 
both, so that the present translation 
does not err widely from the truth. 
But the construction of Horsley, giv- 
en above, we think decidedly prefer- 
able to any other. IT To hear the 

bleatings of the flocks. Heb. filplEJ 
CHI^ sherikoth adarim, the whist- 
lings or pipings of the flock ; i. e. of 
the shepherds who play on the pipe 

while guarding their flocks. 

IT Great searchings of heart. That is, 
great deliberations or consultations, 
but no result. They were forward 
in counsel and debate, but not in ac- 
tion ; a severe and sarcastic irony. 

17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan. 
That is, the Gadites, who possessed 
part of Gilead, Josh. 13. 24, 25. 
Perhaps a part of the half tribe of 
Manasseh is included under the term. 
The verb pTD shakan, to abide, to 



dan : and why did Dan remain 
in ships ? f Asher continued on 
the sea-shore, and abode in his 
breaches. 

f Josh. 19. 29, 31. 



tabernacle^ necessarily here implies 
to dwell at ease, quietly, as Ps. 55. 6, 
' O that I had wings like a dove ! for 
then would I fly away, and be at rest, 
(Heb. pffiJ* eshkon, dwell quietly.) 

IT Why did Dan remain in ships ? 

Why was Dan so much intent upon 
his ships and merchandize ? This 
was one of the maritime tribes. Its 
limits included the haven of Joppa 
(Jaffa,) and also the coast farther 
south. But Zebulun was also ' a ha- 
ven for ships,'" a seafaring tribe, and 
yet was forward and active in this 

expedition. IT Asher continued on 

the sea-shore. The same reproach is 
here brought against Asher, that he 
remained on his coasts. His lot ex- 
tended along the Mediterranean, 
contiguous to Zebulun and Naph ta- 
li, so that if disposed he might easily 
have succored his brethren. But he 
also had an excuse for staying at 
home. The original tflTl 'huph, 
shore, comes from tpn 'haphaph, to 
wear away, and is applied to a coast, 
inasmuch as this is continually wear- 
ing away by the action of the water. 

^Abode in his breaches. Heb, 

tD^^iSfa miphratzim, rents, ruptures, 
fissures, from f "I& paratz, to rend, 
implying probably the bays, inlets, 
and havens, lying along a rugged 
and broken coast. The celebrated 
harbor of Acco or Ptolemais (Acre) 
lay in the territory of Asher. Ach- 
zib also and Tyre are mentioned as 
falling within the limits of this tribej 
Josh. 19. 29. The Chal. paraphrase 
gives a different turn to this clause ; 



70 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296 



18 g Zebulun 
luere a people 

their lives unto the death in the 
high places of the field. 

19 The kings came awe? fought, 



and Naphtali j then fought the kings of Canaan 
that jeoparded in Taanach by the waters of 

Megiddo ; h they took no gain 

of money. 

s ch. 4. 10. h C h. 4. 16. Ps. 44. 12. See 
ver. 30. 



— ' The house of Asher, on the mar- 
gin of the sea, dwelt in the broken 
down cities of the Gentiles, which 
they rebuilt and inhabited.' The 
above rendering, however, is to be 
preferred. 

18. Jeoparded their lives unto the 
death. Heb. fpn 'hereph, despised, 
reproached, or contemned', i. e. they 
rushed fearless upon danger and 
death. These tribes, from being the 
more immediate sufferers from Ja- 
bin's oppression, were, doubtless, the 
most eager to throw off the yoke of 
bondage, and would naturally rise in 
greater numbers and exhibit a more 

determined valor. "IT In the high 

places of the field. Heb. 1TJID Wife 
merome sddeh, the heights of the field. 
Either spoken, in reference to mount 
Tabor, on which the army of Israel 
at first encamped, or poetically taken 
for the most dangerous places of the 
field. 

19. The kings came and fought. 
The poetess now proceeds to describe 
the battle. In the preceding chapter 
mention is made of a single king 
only, Jabin, as coming against Is- 
rael, but, from the use of the plural 
here, and from the probabilities of 
the case, it is to be inferred {hat 
other allied kings took the field with 
Sisera. We are expressly informed, 
Josh. 11. 10, that Hazor, where Jabin 
reigned, was £ before-time the head' 
of numerous petty principalities, and 
these, it may be supposed, were con- 
federate with him on this occasion. 
Yet it is possible that, in the lofty 



style of poetry, ' kings' here may be 
simply equivalent to warlike leaders 
and champions, the heroes and potent 
personages at the head of the Canaan- 

itish forces. Uln Taanach, by the 

waters of Megiddo. These two pla- 
ces, which are usually mentioned 
together, lay within the limits of the 
plain of Esdraelon, and in the imme- 
diate vicinity of the river Kishon. 
Indeed, it is scarcely to be questioned 
that by the ' waters of Megiddo,' is 
to be understood the stream Kishon, 

in that part of its course. IT They 

took no gain of money. They ob- 
tained no spoil or booty ; they were 
utterly disappointed in their expec- 
tations. The original, if rendered 
literally, is very emphatic ; ' not a 
piece, coin, or particle of silver did 
they take.' Schmid, however, among 
the most acute and judicious of com- 
mentators, understands the words of 
the ardor and overweening confi- 
dence with which the Canaanites 
fought. They eniered the field so 
sanguine of success, they resolved not 
to take the least ransom for the Israel- 
ites, either for life or liberty. Think- 
ing it possible that Barak might, on 
seeing the formidable power arrayed 
against him, repent of his undertak- 
ing and wish to purchase peace by 
money; these words, according to 
the critic above mentioned, express 
their determination not to listen for 
a moment to any terms of treaty, but 
to cut them all off without mercy. 
This construction does no violence to 
the original, and is liable to no seri- 






B. C. 1296.] CHAPTER V. 

20 ' They fought from heaven ; 
k the stars in their courses fought 
against Sisera. 



71 



ous objection. Gr. ' they took no 
gift of silver.' Chal. ' they willed 
not riches of silver ;' i. e. they de- 
termined to reject or refuse the most 
tempting bribes. Thus Is. 13. 17, 
1 Behold, I will stir up the Medes 
against them, which shall not regard 
silver ; and as for gold, they shallnot 
delight in it ;' i. e. they shall not be 
prevailed upon to spare, by the pros- 
pect of fee or reward. 

20. They fought from heaven. As 
the expression is indefinite, it may 
be considered as equivalent to say- 
ing, that a supernatural power was 
engaged against them ; they had to 
contend not only with foes on earth, 
but with foes in heaven. Omnipo- 
tence armed the elements against 
them. A parallel idea is expressed 

in the words that follow. TSThe 

stars in their courses fought against 
Sisera. Or, Heb. 6m$0&& d^TST! 
hakkokabim mimmesolatham, the stars 
from their orbits fought, &c, lit. 'from 
their elevations, their exaltations, 
their highways.' Chal. ' from the 
place where the stars go forth, war 
was waged against Sisera.' Proba- 
bly nothing more than a highly rhe- 
torical or poetical expression for the 
adverse influence of the atmospheric 
elements, the rains, winds, thunders, 
and lightnings, which, from ch. 4. 15, 
appear to have been supernaturally 
excited on this occasion. See the 
extract from Josephus, Note on ch. 
4. 15. The stars are here the host of 
heaven, and thisisbut another phrase 
for heaven itself; the heavens fought 
against Sisera. 

21. Kishon. This river takes its 



21 'The river of Kishon swept 
them away, that ancient river, 

i See Josh. 10, 11. Ps. 77. 17, 18. h ch. 
4.15. lch.4.7. 



rise in the valley of Jezreel, near the 
foot of mount Tabor, and after run- 
ning westward, with a great variety 
of turnings and windings, through 
the plain of Esdraelon, falls into the 
Mediterranean at the south-east cor- 
ner of the bay of Acre. ' In travel- 
ling,' says Shaw, ' under the south- 
east brow of Carmel, I had an op- 
portunity of seeing the sources of 
the river Kishon, three or four of 
which lie within less than a furlong 
of each other, and are called " Ras 
el Kishon," or, the head of the Kishon. 
These alone, without the lesser con- 
tributions nearer the sea, discharge 
water enough to form a river half 
as big as the Isis. During likewise 
the rainy season, all the water which 
falls on the eastern side of the moun- 
tain, or upon the rising ground to 
the southward, empties itself into it 
in a number of torrents, at which 
conjunctures it overflows its banks, 
acquires a wonderful rapidity, and 
carries all before it.' When Maun- 
drell crossed this stream on his way 
to Jerusalem, its waters were low 
and inconsiderable; but in passing 
along the side of the plain, he ob- 
served the tracts of many tributary 
rivulets falling down into it from 
the mountains, by which it must be 
greatly swelled in the rainy season. 
At the time of the battle here de- 
scribed, it was undoubtedly in this 
condition— swollen to a deep and 
impetuous torrent, sweeping away 

every thing within its reach. 

IT That ancient river. The reason 
of this epithet is not obvious. The 
Gr. renders it, { the stream of the 



72 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



the river Kishon. O my soul, 

thou hast trodden down strength. 

22 Then were the horse-hoofs 

ancients, or of antiquities.' The 
Chal. • the river in which happened 
signs and great deeds to Israel from 
ancient times.' The root tHp kedem, 
properly implies the idea of prece- 
dency, or priority, whether in point 
of time or place, and hence its de- 
rivatives obtain the sense of either 
- antiquity,' or ' the east,' which is 
always spoken of as lying before all 
other countries. ' The river of an- 
tiquities,' is undoubtedly the most 
exact rendering, and the import may 
be that it was a river about which the 
divine counsels were exercised of old ; 
it was a stream of ancient designa- 
tion, one which God designed to 
make illustrious by this, and, per- 
haps, other similar events ; for the 
plain of Esdraelon, through which it 
runs, is the most famous battle-ground 
of the whole territory of Palestine. 
It was the scene of the conflict of 
Gideon and the Midianites, of Saul 
and the Philistines, of the Israelites 
and the Syrians, 1 Kings 20. 26, and 
of Josiah and the Egyptians. It has 
in fact been a chosen place for en- 
campment, in every contest carried 
on in the Holy Land, from the days 
of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of 
the Crusaders, and thence down to 
that of the modern Napoleon, who 
here sustained the attack of the whole 
Syrian army. i Jews, Gentiles, Sara- 
cens, Egyptians, Persians, Druses, 
Turks, Arabs, Christian Crusaders, 
and anti-christian Frenchmen — war- 
riors out of every nation under heav- 
en, have pitched their tents in the 
plain of Esdraelon, and have beheld 
the various banners of their nations 



broken by the means of the 
prancings, the prancings of their 
mighty ones. 



wet with the dews of Tabor and 
Hermon.' It may also be remarked, 
that if the predicted ' battle of Arma- 
geddon,' Rev. 16. 16, denote a literal 
conflict, destined hereafter to take 
place, there is every probability that 
this is to be its scene ; for here lies 
Megiddo, to which allusion is had in 
the name ' Armageddon,' and we are, 
in fact, strongly inclined to believe 
that name is formed by contraciion 
and a slight change of letters, par- 
ticularly of?* for Z, which is common 
in the East, from the Heb. ifc ^ 
"\iyi2 al-me-Megiddo, waters of Me- 
giddo, v. 19, which we have there 
shown to be but another appellation 
of ihis very river. We see, there- 
fore, with how much propriety the 
Kishon is called the ' ancient,' i. e. 
the ordained, the destined, the desig- 
nated river; the river intended, in 
the purposes of heaven, to be signal- 
ized by a series of remarkable events. 

TT Thou hast trodden down strength. 

That is, thou hast vanquished the 
strong and mighty ; a strain of exul- 
tation spoken, perhaps, in the person 
of all Israel, in view of the glorious 
victory achieved. 

22. The horse-hoofs broken. An- 
ciently horses were not shod ; nor 
are they at the present day in some 
parts of the East. The flight was so 
rapid, that the hoofs of their horses 
were splintered, battered, and brok- 
en by the roughness of the roads. 

^ By the means of their prancings. 

Or, Heb. tYlim da'haroth, of their 
scamper ings. From ch. 4. 16, it ap- 
pears that the Canaanites fled with 
the utmost precipitation. IT Of 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V, 



73 



23 Curse ye Meroz, said the 
angel of the Lord, curse ye bit- 
terly the inhabitants thereof, 
n because they came not to the 
help n of the Lord, to the help 
of the Lord against the mighty. 

their mighty ones. Of their best and 
strongest horses. The original 
(DTd& a-bbirvm,) is thus applied Jei\ 
8. 16, ' The snorting of his horses 
was heard from Dan ; the whole land 
trembled at the sound of the neighing 
of his strong ones,' Ch, 47. 3, ' At 
the noise of the stamping of his 
strong horses.' 

23. Curse ye Meroz. The prophet- 
ess here turns abruptly to curse the 
inhabitants of Meroz ; a place pro- 
bably of some note at that time, but 
of which no trace whatever now re- 
mains. The effect of the curse, like 
that pronounced upon Amalek, Ex. 
17. 14, seems to have ' blotted out the 
remembrance' of its history and its 
site. We may suppose it to have 
been a city lying near the scene of 
action, and that the inhabitants, hav- 
ing an opportunity to cut off the Ca- 
naanites in their flight, neglected to 
improve it, or in some other way 
withheld their services on the occa- 
sion. TiSaid the angel of the Lord. 

The Angel-Jehovah, before spoken 
of, ch. 2. 1. The scope of the words 
is to intimate that the malediction 
proceeded not from her own private 
feelings of ill will or resentment, but 
was prompted by a divine impulse. 
It was Jehovah that commanded the 
curse. She would not otherwise 
have interrupted her strains^ of 
thanksgiving, by the Utterance of so 

fearful a judgment. IT Curse ye 

bitterly. Heb. TlliS T"lfc* oru aror, 
curse with cursing. Use the most 
7 



24 Blessed above women shall 

Jael the wife of Heber the Ke- 
nite be, p blessed shall she be 
above women in the tent. 

m ch. 21. 9, 10, Neh. 3. 5. n 1 Sam. 17. 
47, arid 18. 17, and 25. 28. o ch. 4. 17. p Luke 
1.28. 

awful execrations. MCame not to 

the help of the Lord, To the help of 
the Lord's people ; for he takes what 
is done to his people, as done to him- 
self ; and what is withheld from them 
as withheld from himself. The Lord 
needed not their help ; as the event 
showed that he could accomplish 
the work without them; nor does 
omnipotence ever really need the ser- 
vices of any of his creatures. But 
he is pleased to allow them the privi- 
lege of being employed as co-work- 
ers together with him, and when a 
crisis arrives in which it is in effect 
proclaimed, 'Who is on the Lord's 
side V it is at our peril that we pre- 
sume to stand upon neutral ground, 
and refuse to come up to the help of 
the Lord. 

24. Blessed above women, &c. That 
is, she shall be praised and celebrated 
above women. She shall be deemed 
worthy of the most exalted eulogy 
for her heroic conduct ; all the Israel- 
itish women shall glory in her. This 
is in marked contrast with the fore- 
going curse of Meroz. The spirit 
of prophecy delights to turn from 
the language of displeasure and re- 
buke to that of commendation and 

praise. U Blessed — above women in 

the tent. Or, as Geddes translates it, 

1 tent-inhabiting women.' She shall 
bear the palm above all women of 
the same class or character with her- 
self, i. e. the women of those tribes 
that dwell only in tents. The words 
are evidently applied to the wife of a 



74 



JUDGES. 



fB. C. 1296. 



25 *He 
gave him 



asked water, and she 
milk ; 



she brought 
forth butter in a lordly dish. 
26 r She put her hand to the 

wandering nomad, who had no fixed 
place of residence, and it is highly 
probable that such were the habits of 
the Kenites, in contradistinction from 
the more settled mode of life of the 
Israelites. 

25. She br might forth butter. The 
original J"K*fa!l hemah, here rendered 
' butter/ undoubtedly implies some- 
thing liquid. It would perhaps be 
better translated cream, or rather 
curdled milk. l Sisera complained 
of thirst, and asked a little water to 
quench it,' a purpose to which butter 
is but little adapted. Mr. Harmer 
indeed urges the same objection to 
cream, which, he contends, few peo- 
ple would think a very proper bev- 
erage for one that was extremely 
thirsty; and concludes that it must 
have been buttermilk which Jael, 
who had just been churning, gave to 
Sisera. But the opinion of Dr. Rus- 
sell is preferable, that the hemah of 
the Scriptures is probably the same 
as the haymak of the Arabs, which is 
not, as Harmer supposed, simple 
cream, but cream produced by sim- 
mering fresh sheep's milk for some 
hours over a slow fire. It could not 
be butter newly churned, which Jael 
presented to Sisera, because the Arab 
butter is apt to be foul, and is com- 
monly passed through a strainer be- 
fore it is used ; and Russell declares, 
he never saw butter offered to a stran- 
ger, but always haymak: nor did he 
ever observe the Orientals drink but- 
termilk, but always leban, which is 
coagulated sour milk, diluted with 
water. It was leban, therefore, which 



nail, and her right hand to the 
workmen's hammer; and with 
the hammer she smote Sisera 7 

q eh. 4. 19. r C h. 4. 22. 



Pocock mistook for buttermilk, with 
which the Arabs treated him in the 
holy land. A similar conclusion 
may be drawn concerning the butter 
and milk which the wife of Heber 
presented to Sisera ; they were forced 
cream or haymak, and leban 7 or co- 
agulated sour milk diluted with wa- 
ter, which is a common and refresh- 
ing beverage in those sultry regions.' 

Paxton. %In a lordly dish. Heb. 

'in a bowl of the mighty, of the no- 
bles.' That is, such as nobles use ; 
a rich, costly, or princely bowl ; one 
with which a person would entertain 
the most honorable guests. Though 
it is scarcely supposable that articles 
of this costly description were com- 
mon in the tents of nomade tribes, yet 
in the present case the family of He- 
ber may have possessed, from their 
ancestors, a sumptuous article of the 
kind, which Jael would naturally 
bring forth on the occasion of a visit 
from so distinguished a personage. 
See ' Illustrations of the Scriptures,' 
p. 137. 

26. She put her hand. Her left 
hand, as appears from the nature of 
the case and from the mention of the 

right in the ensuing clause. 

With the hammer she smote Sisera. 
The words ' with the hammer' ought 
properly to have been printed in Ital- 
ics, as they do not occur in the ori- 
ginal, although it is true that the Heb. 
verb for 'smite' does often, perhaps 
generally, convey the idea of smiting 
■with a hammer, for which reason our 
translators have rendered in the mar- 
gin, ' she hammered Sisera.' Yet in 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



75 



she smote off his head ? when 
she had pierced and stricken 
through his temples. 

27 At her feet he bowed, he 
fell, he lay down : at her feet 
he bowed, he fell : where he 



v. 22 of this chapter it is applied to 
the beating or striking of I he horses' 
hoofs against the ground. At the 
time, however, when our translation 
was made, the force of many Heb. 
words was not so clearly ascertained 

as at the present. IT She smote off' 

his head. Rather, Heb. imtt?\ npn» 
mahakah rosh), she violently smote. 
she crushed his head. That his head 
was actually severed from his body 
there is no good reason to believe. 

IT When she pierced. &c. Or, Heb. 

n^nfcl umahatzah, and she pierced, 
&c. The leading idea of the original 
word is to beat down, to depress, as 
appears from its use, Ps. 68. 24 and 
110. 6; Deut. 33. 11. According to 
the rendering of our translators it is 
entirely synonymous with the ensu- 
ing term, ' stricken through.' But this 
we believe to be unwarranted. The 
first undoubtedly implies the beating 
down, the indenting of the side of Si- 
sera's head which was exposed to the 
stroke, the other, the transfixing, the 
perforating of his temples, by the 
tent-pin. The words intimate a 
gradation in the act, each expression 
rising in intensity upon the preced- 
ing. 

27. At her feet he bowed, &c. Heb. 
?52 SIS rrfrll y* ben ragleyah 
kdra naphal, between her feet he bowed 
or sunk down, he fell. He probably 
made soms struggles after receiving 
the blow, and as we may suppose 
him to have been lying on a bed, or 
divan, elevated somewhat above the 



bowed, there he fell down dead. 
28 The mother of Sisera look- 
ed out at a window, and cried 
through the lattice, Why is his 
chariot so long in coming ? why 
tarry the wheels of his chariots ? 



floor, he would naturally fall upon 
the latter. The several kindred 
words appear to be merely a poetic 
amplification of the circumstances 
of his death. See a similar phrase- 
ology, Ps. 20. 6, ' They are brought 
down and fallen (IpSjl "12*13).' 

28. The mother of Sisera looked 
out, &c. By an abrupt but beautiful 
transition, the mother of Sisera is 
now introduced as looking i'rom her 
lattice, confidently expecting her son's 
victorious return, ostentatiously reck- 
oning upon the spoil. ' In this,' says 
Prof. Robinson, ' is shown the deep 
insight into human nature which the 
sacred writer possessed, an insight 
especially into the frivolity of the 
Oriental female character. Her con- 
solation springs, not from the hope 
of his triumphant return as a war- 
rior and conqueror, but arises from 
the slaves, the many-colored gar- 
ments, the splendid ornaments and 
attire which will fall to his share. 
In the mouth of the exulting He- 
brew poetess, this is a burst of keen 
and scoffing irony against a foe who 
never dreamed of a defeat, and 
awaited only the spoils of victory.' 

IT Cried through the lattice. The 

windows of eastern houses generally 
open into interior private courts, with 
the exception sometimes of a latticed 
window or balcony towards the street. 
At such an one the mother of Sisera 
is here represented as standing and 

looking out. IT Why is his chariot 

so long in comin? ? Heb. OEl ynfc 



76 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1296. 



29 Her wise ladies answered 
her, yea, she returned answer 
to herself, 

30 s Have they not sped ? have 
they not divided the prey ? to 
every man a damsel or two ; to 
Sisera a prey of divers colors, a 

e Ex. 15. 9. 



&1^ ISlD"! maddua boshesh rikbo 
labo, why does his chariot shame (us) 
in coming? i. e. why does it so linger 
beyond expectation and almost be- 
yond endurance 1 The relation be- 
tween the ideas of delay and shame, 
in certain Hebrew terms, is very pe- 
culiar. See Note on ch. 3. 25. 

29. Her wise ladies. The noble 
female attendants, the matrons of 
her court or suite. The epithet 
1 wise,' perhaps, has reference to 
their sagacity or shrewdness in as- 
signing reasons for Sisera's delay. 

30. Have they not sped. Heb. 
Is&Sfa^ itfcft halo yimizcu, have they not 
found ; i. e. have they not succeeded 
in obtaining the object of their de- 
sires % IT To every man a damsel or 

Ivjo. Heb. "G3 TDiCfc lerosh geber, 
to the head of a man ; an idiom pecu- 
liar to the originai, wherever the idea 
of enumeration or distribution is in- 
volved. One would have thought 
that ladies, who had any just con- 
ception of the honor of their sex, 
would have found other subjects of 
felicitation than this. But the hint 
serves as a faithful index of the de- 
gradation of woman in all heathen 

lands, especially in the East. IT A 

prey of divers colors of needle-work. 
Embroidery and rich dresses were 
reckoned the most valuable parts of 
the spoil of conquered foes. It was 
probably the beauty and richness of 
the Babylonish garment, that first 



prey of divers colors of needle- 
work, of divers colors of needle- 
work on both sides, meet for the 
necks of them that take the spoil ?. 
31 l So let all thine enemies 
perish, Lord : but let them 

t Ps. 83. 9, 10. 



tempted Achan to secrete the spoil 
that cost him his life. It was also 
probably from the high va'.lue put 
upon this species of spoil, that Da- 
vid, 2 Sam. 1. 24, calls upon the 
daughters of Israel to join with him 
in lamenting the death of Saul, 
' who clothed them in scarlet, and 
with other delights ; who put on or- 
naments of gold upon their apparel.' 

*$For the necks of them, that lake 

the spoil. Heb. ^EJ ^&12? letzav- 
vere shalal, for the necks of the prey. 
The ellipsis is perhaps well supplied 
in our translation, though some cri- 
tics, instead of taking 'prey' figura- 
tively for persons seizing the prey, 
understand it of captured animals, 
which they suppose to have been 
usually led in triumph, decorated 
with ornaments and trappings upon 
their necks. In this sense, however, 
it might, as Prof. Robinson suggests, 
be better referred to the decorations 
of the female slaves. 

31. So let all thine enemies perish. 
The prophetess, instead of saying in 
express terms that the hopes of Sise- 
ra's mother were doomed to sad dis- 
appointment, bursts forth into an 
abrupt apostrophe, which implies 
this in a very vivid and forcible 
manner; viz. an invocation of like 
destruction upon all the enemies of 
Jehovah. The particle 'so' refers, 
not to what is expressed, but to what 
is thus implied, the frustrated hopes 



B. C. 1296.] 



CHAPTER V. 



77 



that love him be u as the sun 
x when he soeth forth in his 



and bitter wailings of the mother 
and her attendants. This highly- 
poetical mode of concluding the song, 
gives a gracefulness and effect to 
the whole which can scarcely be 
surpassed. In remarking practically 
on the prayer of Deborah, it is to be 
observed, that imprecations of evil, 
when personal and vindictive, are 
contrary to the mind of God; but 
when uttered as denunciations of 
God's determined purposes against 
his enemies, they are not unsuited 
to the most holy character. In this 
light are many of the Psalms of Da- 
vid to be viewed; and even Paul 
could say, ' If any man love not the 
Lord Jesus Christ, let him be ana- 
thema-maranatha.' ' Though our 
enemies,' says Henry, ' are to be 
prayed for, God's enemies, as such, 
are to be prayed against; and when 
i we see some of God's enemies re- 
: marlcably humbled and brought 
"'down, that is an encouragement to 
us to pray for the downfall of all the 
re>t.' Thus are Deborah's words to 
be interpreted. Being prompted by 
the spirit of inspiration, they are to be 
regarded not only as an imprecation, 
but also as a prediction ; a predic- 
tion which shall assuredly be accom- 
plished in its season upon all that 
continue to withstand omnipotence. 

VLet them that love him be as the 

su7i, &c. These words require sim- 
ply a practical exposition. They in- 
timate the true distinction between 
the enemies and the friends of God. 
The latter are characterized as those 
that love him. If between men we 
could admit a medium between love 
7* 



might. And the land had rest 
forty years. 

u 2 Sam. 23. 4. x Ps. 19. 5. 



and hatred, we can by no means 
admit of it between God and his 
creatures. Indifference towards God 
would be constructive en mity. Those 
only who love him can be numbered 
among his friends. In behalf of 
these the prophetess prays that they 
may be as ' the sun when he goelh 
forth in his might.' Under this 
beautiful image she prays, (1) That 
they may shine with ever-increasing 
splendor. The sun in its early dawn 
casts but a feeble light upon the 
world ; but soon proceeds to irradiate 
the whole horizon, and to burst in 
full lustre upon those who were a 
little while before immersed in dark- 
ness. Thus the goings-forth of the 
devoted friends and servants of the 
Most High, diffuse at first but an in- 
distinct and doubtful gleam ; but 
through the tender mercy of God they 
advance, and their light shines 
brighter and brighter to the perfect 
day. (2) That they may diffuse 
benefits wheresoever they go. The 
sun is the fountain of light and life 
to the whole terraqueous sphere. If 
we look at the places where his ge- 
nial beams for months together never 
shine, the whole face of nature wears 
the appearance of desolation and 
death ; and nothing but the return of 
his kindly influences restores her to 
life. Thus in countries where the 
friends of God are not found, the. 
whole population is in a state of 
spiritual and moral death. But in 
their light, light is seen, and from 
them is spread abroad a vital influ- 
ence which wakes up all around 
them to new life and power. Let us 



78 



CHAPTER VI. 

AND the children of Israel 1 
did evil in the sight of the 
Lord : and the Lord delivered 

a ch. 2. 19. 



JUDGES. [B. C. 1296. 

them into the hand b of Midian 
seven years. 
2 And the 
prevailed 



seriously inquire to which of these 
classes we belong ; for however eon- 
founded now, there will be an awful 



hand of Midian 
against Israel : and 

*> Hab. 3. 7. 



the one arising to everlasting 
shame and contempt, the other shin- 
ing forth as the sun in the kingdom 
of their father. 




ANCIENT WAR-CHARIOTS. 



CHAPTER VI. 
1. Did evil in the sight of the Lord. 
After the expiration of the forty- 
years of rest above mentioned, ch. 5. 
31. Their new defection subjects 
them, as a matter of course, to new 
judgments. With the froward, God 
will show himself froward, and will 
walk contrary to those that walk 



contrary to him. IT Into the hand 

of Midian. Of the Midianites ; the 
usual collect, sing, for the p ural. 
A great portion of this race had 
been cut oif by Moses about 200 
years before, Num. 31. 1-18, but in 
the mean time they had recovered 
themselves, those that escaped to 
other regions having returned, and 



B. C. 1296.1 



CHAPTER VI. 



79 



because of the Midianites the 
children of Israel made them 
c the dens which are in the 

«- 1 Sam. 13. 6. Heb. 11. 38. 



these with the remnant that remain- 
ed having rapidly increased and ac- 
quired power, till they became too 
strong for their sin-weakened neigh- 
bors, the Israelites. Instigated proba- 
bly by resentment, they joined the 
Amalekites in order to retaliate upon 
their ancient conquerors. They in- 
habited the eastern borders of the Red 
Sea, having Anion for their capital 
2 The hand of Midian prevailed 
against Israel, Heb. Jy "p" 10 nn t5>n 
JjallD' 1 taaz yad Midyan al Yisiael, 
the hand of Midian was strong upmi 
Israel; indicating not merely the 
commencement, but the continuance 
and the highest degree of oppression. 

UMade them the dens. &c. That 

is, prepared, fitted up as residences 
the caves and dens of the mountains. 
They did not make them de novo, in 
the sense of cutting out, excavating, 
or constructing them, for it is said 
they were already in the mountains, 
but they so worked upon them as to 
adapt them for dwelling-places and 
strongholds against the assaults of 
their enemies. Shaw says that a 
great way on each side of Joppa, on 
the sea-coast, there is a range of 
mountains and precipices ; and that 
in these high situations are generally 
found the dens, the holes, or caves, 
which are so frequently mentioned 
in Scripture, and which were for- 
merly the lonesome retreats of the dis- 
tressed Israelites. Nothing can give 
a more vivid impression of the suf- 
ferings to which the Israelites were 
now reduced. Not daring to reside 
in the plain country they were obli- 



mountains, and caves, and strong 
holds. 

3 And so it was, when Israel 
had sown, that the Midianites 

ged to betake themselves to the most 
retired holds and fastnesses which 
their mountainous territory afforded. 
Josephus thus describes this period 
of their history ; — * Now when Barak 
and Deborah were dead, whose 
deaths happened about the same 
time ; afterwards the Midianites 
called the Amalekites and Arabians 
to their assistance, and made war 
against the Israelites, and were too 
hard for those that fought against 
them ; and when they had burnt the 
fruits of the earth, they carried off 
the prey, Now when they had done 
this for three years, the multitude of 
the Israelites retired to the moun- 
tains, and forsook the plain country. 
They also made themselves hollows 
under ground, and caverns, and pre- 
served therein whatsoever had es- 
caped their enemies ; for the Midi- 
anites made expeditions in harvest- 
time, but permitted them to plough 
the land in winter, so that when the 
others had taken pains, they might 
have fruits for them to carry away.' 
J. Antiq. B. V. ch. 6. § 1. See Note 
on Gen. 19. 30. They who abuse 
God's gifts in prodigality and luxu- 
ry, often live, as a just punishment, 
to feel the want of them in hunger 
and nakedness. 

3. When Israel had sown, &c. The 
Midianites were principally wander- 
ing herdsmen, that is, just such a 
people as the Bedouin Arabs of the 
present day. Consequently the de- 
tails of this oppression may be illus- 
trated, from what travellers relate of 
the modern customs of these roving 



80 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 129a 



came up, and s the Amalekites, 

e and the children of the east, 

even they came up against them : 

4 And they encamped against 

a cb. 3. 13. e Gen. 29. 1. cb. 7. 12, and 
8. 10. 1 Kings 4. 30. Job 1. 3. 



and plundering tribes. It may be 
stated as a maxim, that whenever the 
nomade is the master of the cultiva- 
tor, the impoverishment and ultimate 
ruin of the latter are inevitable. The 
Bedouin Arabs come up from their 
deserts in the spring and perhaps re- 
main through the summer, in the 
territories of those cultivators who 
are so unfortunate as to lie at their 
mercy. If there is not an established 
understanding between the tillers of 
the soil and the nomades, as to the 
tribute which the former are to pay 
foi exemption, the Bedouins encamp 
and pasture their cattle in the culti- 
vated grounds, after securing such 
corn and other vegetable productions 
as they may see fit to appropriate for 
their own use. Thus the ' increase 
of the earth is destroyed,' and no 
' sustenance left' to reward the labor 
and patience bestowed upon its pro- 
duction. Tr The children of the 

east. Various mixed tribes of the 
Arabians, Ishmaelites, Moabites, and 
Ammonites inhabiting the regions 
which lay to the east and southeast 
of Palestine. They were the descend- 
ants of Abraham by Keturah. See 
more respecting them, ch. 8. 10, 11. 
Gen. 29/l ; Job 1. 3; Ezek. 25.4 

IT Came up against them. The 

effects of these marauding expedi- 
tions are expressly stated in the next 
verse. 

4. And they encamped. This is not 
to be understood precisely in the 
sense of a military encampment. 



them, and destroyed the in- 
crease of the earth, till thou 
come unto Gaza ; and left no 
sustenance for Israel, neither 
sheep, nor ox, nor ass. 

f Lev. 26. 16. Deut. 25. 30, 33, 51. Mic. 6.15. 



which is generally a station occupied 
but for a very short time. The ori- 
ginal term is frequently applied to 
the pitching of tents by the nomade 
tribes in their wanderings, and is but 
another word for expressing their 
unsettled, migratory kind of life. 
Living mostly in tents, they pitched 
them now here, and now there, re- 
maining for a longer or shorter time 
as the advantages of pasturage 0? 
plunder invited them - r and the scope 
of the present passage is doubtless; 
to say,, that these numerous eastern 
hordes had so far obtained the mas- 
tery over Israel, that they fearlessly 
pitched their tents and made a pro- 
tracted stay in the very heart of their 
country, moving on to its utmost 
limits, and consuming all its pro- 
ducts as they advanced. See the 

next verse. ^Till thou come unis> 

Gaza. Their ravages extended quite 
across the whole breadth of the land 
from the east, where they entered, 
to the limits of the Philistines' pos- 
sessions, who inhabited the coast of 
the Mediterranean. Them they dis- 
turbed not, knowing them to be also 
hostile to the Israelites. A common 
enmity is a virtual league of alliance. 

IT Neither sheep t nor ox, n&r ass. 

The Bedouins, in oppressing the cul- 
tivator, seize all the cattle that art 
brought abroad, and add them to 
their own flocks and herds, so that 
the inhabitants frequently become 
deprived of all their cattle, as was 
now the case with the Israelites. h* 



B. C. 1256.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



81 



5 For they came up with their 
cattle and their tents, and they 
came ? as grasshoppers for mul- 
titude ; for both they and their 
camels were without number : 
and they entered into the land 
to destroy it. 

g ch. 7. 12. 



western Asia the people who are sub- 
ject to such annual incursions, gene- 
rally make a compromise with the 
invaders, agreeing to pay them a 
heavy tribute, on condition that the 
harvests shall not be touched, or the 
cattle driven off. Even powerful 
communities, which might be able to 
cope with the Bedouins, often enter 
into a compromise of this sort, to 
prevent the necessity of continual 
warfare and watchfulness. With 
these, the arrangement is a matter of 
convenience; but miserable is the 
condition of those with whom it is a 
matter of necessity, and to whom it 
is the only alternative, on which they 
can secure a scanty subsistence from 
their fields. The tribute usually paid 
in produce, is generally very heavy; 
which the chiefs expect ex- 
traordinary presents, and what is re- 
ceived in one year as a present, is 
certain to be exacted the next year 
as a right. Thus the pressure accu- 
mulates, till it can no longer be 
borne ; cultivation is then relinquish- 
ed; and whole settlements are aban- 
doned by their inhabitants, who dis- 
perse themselves into other villages 
or towns, or form a settlement where 
they hope to be more at ease. These 
particulars, gathered principally from 
the ' Pictorial Bible,' serve to show 
the distressed situation of the Israel- 
ites under the depredations of these 
ancient Bedouins. 



6 And Israel was greatly im- 
poverished because of the Midi- 
anites ; and the children of Is- 
rael h cried unto the Lord. 

7 If And it came to pass, when 
the children of Israel cried unto 

b ch. 3. 15. Hos. 5. 15. 



5. Came up with their cattle and 
their tents. That is, with their wives, 
children, and domestics, the inhabit- 
ants of their tents. This is but an 
expansion of the idea of the preced- 
ing verse. The inroad of these east- 
ern invaders was not a sudden and 
successful assault followed by a has- 
ty retreat, but a prolonged occupation 
of the country of the Israelites, with 
their innumerable tents, and flocks, 
and herds. For numbers and vora- 
city they are compared to ' grasshop- 
pers,' or rather ' locusts,' as the word 
should be rendered, and nothing can 
convey a more vivid image of the 
countless multitude and the wide- 
spread ravages of these armies of 
marauders. — It was undoubtedly at 
this time that the famine took place 
which compelled the family of Elime- 
lech to migrate to the land of Moab, 
and gave rise to the interesting 
events related in the book of Ruth. 
The oppression to which the Israel- 
ites were at this time subject was, 
therefore, of a very different charac- 
ter from those which they had previ- 
ously suffered; and from the minute 
and expressive details which are 
given, we cannot but infer that they 
had never before experienced any 

thing so grievous. ^Entered into 

the land to destroy it. The effect of 
their entering in was to destroy, to 
lay waste the land; whether the 
Heb. particle (J) to) imports the ac- 



82 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1256. 



the Lord because of the Midi- 
anitesj 

8 That the Lord sent a pro- 
phet unto the children of Israel, 
which said unto them, Thus 
saith the Lord God of Israel, I 
brought you up from Egypt, 

tual design is not so clear. It often 
indicates merely the event. See Note 
on Josh. 7. 7. 

8. The Lord sent a prophet. Heb. 
8P3 *ffi*« TfiW- yishlali ish nabi, 
sent a -man, a prophet. The writer 
would have it understood that it was 
a human messenger, and not an an- 
gel j for angels in Scripture are not 
called prophets, though prophets are 
sometimes called angels. Mai. 3. 1. 
God commissioned some individual 
whose name is not known, to act the 
part of a prophet, 'i. e. to be an organ 
of declaring the divine will on this 
occasion to his people. Whether he 
had ever exercised this function be- 
fore is uncertain. The supposition 
that he had is at least unnecessary. 
Men were often raised up and en- 
dowed with extraordinary gifts for 
particular emergencies, and God 
having now determined, in answer 
to the prayers of his oppressed peo- 
ple, to grant them deliverance, begins 
by sending them a prophet before he 
raises up for them a Saviour. It was 
fitting that their deep and unfeigned 
repentance should precede the pur- 
posed relief, and a prophet would be 
the most suitable instrument of ef- 
fecting this. The immediate object 
of our prayers is not always that 
which God sees fit immediately to 
grant. He may see that something 
else entirely different is necessary as 
a preparative to the main blessing, 
and as a general rule we cannot hope 



and brought you forth out of the 
house of bondage ; 

9 And I delivered you out of 
the hand of the Egyptians, and 
out of the hand of all that op- 
pressed you, and ' drave them 

i Ps. 44. 2, 3. 



for the marks of divine forgiveness 
without being deeply humbled for 
our previous sin. ' The sending of 
prophets to a people, and the furnish- 
ing a land with faithful ministers, is 
a token for good, and an evidence 
that God has mercy in store for 
them,' Henry. In what way pre- 
cisely this prophet executed his mis- 
sion, whether by addressing the peo- 
ple in a general assembly, or by de- 
livering it from city to city, and from 
tribe to tribe, it is not possible to de- 
cide ; but his errand was to convince 
them of sin, and to bring them to re- 
pentance and humiliation before God, 
in view of their past transgressions. 

X\ Brought you up from Egypt. 

You in the loins or persons of your 
fathers. See this phraseology ex- 
plained, Josh. 4. 23. 

9. Of all that oppressed you. It is 
not perfectly clear to whom this is 
intended to apply. It cannot well be 
referred to the Canaanites, in Judea, 
as they can scarcely be said to have 
' oppressed' the Israelites prior to the 
occupation of their lands by the lat- 
ter, although they doubtless had every 
disposition to do" it. Some of the 
Jewish commentators with much pro- 
bability understand it of Sihon, Og, 
Arad, and others whom the Israelites 
encountered on their way from Egypt 
to Canaan, to whom should perhaps 
be added Balak, king of Moab, the 
Midianites, the Edomites, and what- 
ever enemy endeavored to molest 



B. C. 1256.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



83 



out from before you, and gave 
you their land; 

10 And 1 said unto you, I aw 
the Lord your God ; k fear not 
the gods of the Amorites, in 
whose land ye dwell : but ye 
have not obeyed my voice. 

h 2 Kings 17. 35, 37, 33. Jer. 10. 2. 



them cm their march. These they 
overcame, expelled, and took posses- 
sion of their country, and so made 
good the declaration of the text. 

10. Fear not the gods of the Amor- 
ites. Fear them not so as to serve 
and worship them ; pay them no di- 
vine honors. By the Amorites is 
meant the Canaan itish nations in 

general. See on Josh. 24. 14. 15. 

*,\ But ye have not obeyed my voice. 
In this and the two preceding verses 
there is no express promise of deliv- 
erance, but merely a recital of the 
Lord's goodness and the charge of 
disobedience and rebellion brought 
against the people. The reason per- 
haps of an address so purely legal 
was to deepen their repentance, to 
make them feel more bitterly the 
evil and malignity of their conduct, 
and on the borders of despair to cry 
more earnestly for the divine succor. 
As we learn, however, from the 
facts recorded that it was the purpose 
of God to afford relief, we may pro- 
perly understand the rebuke as im- 
flying the promise of pardon and 
deliverance, on condition of their re- 
turning to God. As a general rule, 
in God's dealings with sinners, 
where present evils are spoken of as 
a penalty of past offences, it is to be 
understood that forgiveness will fol- 
low reformation. We may there- 
fore without hazard supply the last 
clause thus:— 'But ye have not 



1 1 IT And there came an angel 
of the Lord, and sat under an 
oak which was in Ophrah, that 
pertained unto Joash 'the Abi- 
ezrite : and his son m Gideon 
threshed wheat by the wine- 

1 Josh. 17. 2, m Heb. 11. 32, Gedeon 



obeyed my voice; nevertheless I 
have heard your cry, and have pur- 
posed deliverance.' This is merely 
putting the actual conduct of the 
Most High into words. 

11. An angel of the Lord. Not a 
created angel, but the Son of God 
himself, the eternal Word, the Lord 
of angels, anticipating the appear- 
ance he was afterwards in the full- 
ness of time to make in human form. 
This is evident from his being called, 
v. 14-16, 'Jehovah,' and from his 
saying, ' I will be with thee.' See on 

ch. 2. 1. ^Set under om oak which 

was in Ophrah. Or, Heb. ' sat under 
a grove or cluster of oaks.' Ophrah. 
was a city of Manasseh, west of Jor- 
dan, situated about sixteen miles 
norih of Jericho, and not far from 

the river Jordan. U Joash the Abi- 

ezrile. Of the posterity, of the family 
of Abiezer, who belonged to the 
tribe of Manasseh, Josh. 17. 2. This 
Ophrah probably fell to the inherit- 
ance of this family, and it may be 
also so called to distinguish it from 
another Ophrah, in the tribe of Ben- 
jamin. Josh. 18. 23. IT Gideon 

threshed loheat by the wine-press. The 
Hebrew properly denotes, ' threshed 
wheat with a stick in a wine-press ;' 
a very expressive illustration of the 
remarks made above respecting the 
oppression of the Midianites. Gideon 
was obliged to thresh his wheat in a 
small quantity, and in an unusual 



84 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1256, 



press, to hide it from the Midi- 
anites. 

12 And the "angel of the Lord 
appeared unto him, and said 

a ch. 13, 3. Luke 1. 11, 28. 

place, to conceal it from the enemy, 
This shows how extreme was the 
distress of the Israelites, seeing that 
they could not retain any part of 
their own produce except by stealth. 
The smallness of the quantity is 
shown by the manner in which it 
was threshed, which was not with 
cattle, as was usual with large quan- 
tities, but by means of the flail, which 
was seldom employed bnt in thresh- 
ing small quantities. And then the 
threshing was in or near the wine- 
press, that is, in an unusual place, in 
ground appropriated to another pur- 
pose. The flail also falling on grain 
placed on the dead ground, not on a 
boarded floor, as with us, made but 
little noise, whereas the bellowing of 
the oxen might, in the other case, 
have led to detection. It will be ob- 
served, however, contrary to the 
opinion of some commentators, that 
this threshing-ground was in the 
open air, else Gideon could not have 
expected dew to fall upon the ground 
or on the fleece, which he spread out 

there, v. 37-40. TT To hide it from 

the Midianites. Heb. ' to cause it to 
flee from the Midianites;' i. e. that 
it might be hastily gathered up on 
the approach of the enemy and con- 
veyed to a place of safety. The ori- 
ginal word is the same with that em- 
ployed Ex. 9. 20, { He that feared the 
word of the Lord— ma de his servants 
and his cattle flee into the houses.' 
where it is evidently exegetieal of 
1 gather' in the preceding verse. 
12. The Lord is with thee. Chal. 



unto him, the Lord is "wish 

thee, thou mighty man of valor. 

13 And Gideon said unto him, 

O my Lord, if the Lord be with 

c Josh. 1. 5. 



' the Word of the Lord is for thy 
help, thou mighty man of valor.' An 
ancient form of salutation, express- 
ing the assurance, or conveying an 
invocation, of the presence, protec- 
tion and blessing of God. From 
Gideon's answer, v. 13, it would ap- 
pear that the former is the sense in 
this passage. Thus Boaz saluted 
his- reapers, Ruth, 2. 4, and thus the 
angel accosted the mother of Christ, 
Luke 1. 28. Josephus thus speaks 
of the incident ; ' At this time some- 
what appeared to him in the shape 
of a young man, and told him he was 
a happ}'- man and beloved of God. J 

J. Ant. L. v. 6. 2. -HThou mighty 

man of valor. This appellation may 
at once have been founded upon some 
previous display of courage and per- 
sonal prowess put forth by Gideon, 
and may also have been predictive 
of the character he should hereafter 
exhibit as a divinely commissioned 
and qualified deliverer of his coun- 
trymen. The instruments which 
God chooses to effect his purposes he 
endows, strengthens, and animates 
for the w^ork to which he calls them. 
Though often to human view unlike- 
ly instruments, yet they will ever be 
found best qualified for the employ- 
ment assigned them. 

13. If the Lord be with us. Chal. 
'is the Shekinah of the Lord for our 
help V The angel, it will be observ- 
ed, addressed Gideon in the singular, 
'the Lord is with thee ;' but he, in 
his reply, continually makes use of 
the plural, — ' if the Lord be with us 



B. C. 1256.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



85 



us, why then is all this befallen 
us ? and p where be all his mira- 
cles q which our fathers told us 
of, saying, Did not the Lord 
bring us up from Egypt? but 

P So Ps. 89. 49. Isa. 59. 1, and 63. 15. 
\ Vs. 44. 1. 



— showing thai he identified himself 
with his people, and that he scarcely 
knew how to conceive of the divine 
presence with him, when there was 
do evidence of its being enjoyed by 
them. An humble and self-distrust- 
ing spirit is always backward to re- 
cognize the special tokens of the di- 
vine favor, and, far from wishing to 
monopolize them, is anxious that 
such gracious manifestations should 

be shared by others. TI Why then 

is all this befallen us? Heb. H/2^ 
r,&T ^d IStlfcrtZTa lamah metzaathnu 
kol zoth, why hath all this found us? 
A plain acknowledgment that the 
evils sutfered were occasioned by the 
wiihdrawmentof the divine presence. 
It is supposed, by the very terms, that 
the continued enjoyment of the light 
of God's countenance would have 

precluded them. IT Where be all 

his miracles, &c. Why does not the 
same power which delivered our fa- 
thers from the yoke of the Egyptians, 
deliver us out of the hands of the 
Midianites ? ' It is sometimes hard, 
but never impossible, to reconcile 
cross providences with the presence 

of God and his favor.' Henry. 

TT Delivered, us into t/te hands of the 
Midianites. Heb. Sp kaph, properly 
the hollovj of the hand; different from 
"P yad, the hand, usually employed 
in such connexions. — ' The valiant 
man was here weak, weak in faith, 
weak in discourse, whilst he argues 
God's absence by affticlion, anrl his 
presence by deliverances, and the 
8 



now the Lord hath 'forsaken us, 
and delivered us into the hands 
of the Midianites. 

14 And the Lord looked upon 
him, and said, s Go in this thy 

r 2 Chron. 15. 2, s 1 Sam. 12. 11. Heb. 
11. 32, 34. 



unlikelihood of success, by his own 
inability ; all gross inconsequences. 
Rather should he have inferred 
God's presence in their correction , 
for wheresoever God chastises, there 
he is, yea, there he is in mercy. No- 
thing more proves us his than his 
stripes: he will not bestow chastise- 
ment where he loves not. Fond na- 
ture thinks God. should not suffer the 
wind to blow on his dear ones, but 
none out of the place of torment 
have suffered so much as his dearest 
children. He says not, " We are 
idolaters; therefore the Lord hath 
forsaken us. because we have forsak- 
en him." This sequel had been as 
good as the other was faulty ; " He 
hath delivered us unto the Midian- 
ites, therefore he hath forsaken us." 
Sins, not afflictions, argue God ab- 
sent.' Bp. Hall. 

14. And the Lord looked upon him. 
That is, not merely directed his eyes 
towards him, but looked upon him 
efficaciously, with an indescribable 
power and influence, as it is said, 
Luke 22. 61, ' And the Lord turned 
and looked upon Peter;' i. e. in such 
a way as he only could look upon 
him ; with an efficacy absolutely di- 
vine, the consequence of which was 
he went out and wept bitterly. 
Here, however, the look was one of 
encouragement and favor, one which 
banished his fears and inspired him 
with new life, spirits, and confidence. 
It will be noticed that the language 
here employed, ' The Lord (Jeho- 



86 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1256. 



might, and thou shalt save Israel him, x Surely I will be with 
from the hand of the Midianites : thee, and thou shalt smite the 



l have not I sent thee ? 

15 And he said unto him, O 
my Lord, wherewith shall I 
save Israel ? behold, u my family 
is poor in Manasseh, and I am 
the least in my father's house. 

16 And the Lord said unto 



t Josh. 1. 9. ch. 4. 



u See I Sam. 9.21. 



vah) looked upon him,' plainly dis- 
closes the real character of him who 

is above called an angel. %Go in 

this thy strength. In the supernatu- 
ral strength and fortitude with which 
thou perceivest thyself to be endow- 
ed, as the result of this interview. 
God gives men. a commission of ser- 
vice by giving them all the qualifi- 
cations necessary for the execution 
of it, and when this is the case, hu- 
man ceremonies merely recognize 
instead of creating the authority un- 
der which such persons act. ' A 
good cause, a good calling, and a 
good conscience, will make a good 
courage.' Trapp. 

15. My family is poor. Heb. ^S^fc* 
^lu alpi haddal, which, though posi- 
tive in form, is superlative in import, 
and is to be rendered, my thousand 
is the meanest, or poorest. From Ex. 
18. 25, we learn that the Israelites 
were divided into tens, fifties, hun- 
dreds, and thousands; a division ex- 
pressly recognized, Mic. 5. 2. ' Thou, 
Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou 
be little among the thousands of Isra- 
el,' &c. These thousands embraced 
of course numerous families, and the 
assertion of Gideon seems to be, that 
the thousand to which his family be- 
longed had become not only greatly 
diminished in numbers, but also im- 
poverished in resources, so that they 



Midianites as one man. 

17 And he said unto him, If 
now I have found grace in thy 
sight, then y show me a sign 
that thou talkest with me. 



* Ex. 3. 12. Josh. 1. 5. t Ex. 4. 1-8. 
ver. 36, 37. 2 Kings 20. 8. Ps. 86. 17. 

Isai. 7. Jl. 



could do little towards withstanding 

the enemy. IT Least in my father's 

house. Either the youngest, or in his 
apprehension the least competent for 
the work in question. He would 
represent himself as lacking in that 
ability, rank, and influence which 
would induce hlo countrymen to join 
his standard in an enterprise against 
the Midianites. 

16. Smite the Midianites as one 
man. As easily and effectually as 
if they were but one man. 

17. Show me a sign, that thou talk- 
est with me. That it is thou, the true 
and real Jehovah, with whom I am 
honored to speak; that there is no 
mistake, no illusion, as to the per- 
sonage with whom I am now hold- 
ing converse. This request seems 
to have been prompted by a momen- 
tary misgiving whether it were really 
the divine Being himself with whom 
he now had the honor of an inter- 
view. ' The unusualness of those 
revelations, in those corrupted times, 
was such, that Gideon might think 
of any thing rather than an angel : 
no marvel if so strange a promise 
from an unknown messenger found 
not a perfect assent. Fain would he 
believe, but fain would have good 
warrant for his faith. In matters of 
faith we cannot go on too sure 
grounds : as Moses therefore, being 



B. C. 1256.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



87 



18 z Depart not hence, I pray 
thee, until I come unto thee, 
and bring forth my present, and 
set it before thee. And he said, 
I will tarry until thou come 
again. 

■ Gen. 18. 3, 5. ch. 13. 15. 



sent on the same errand, desired a 
sign, whereby Israel might know that 
God sent him ; so Gideon desires a 
sign from this bearer, to know that 
the news is from God.' Bp. Hall. 

18. Bring forth my present. Heb. 
^nrDfa min*hdlhij my mincha; a word 
usually employed to signify a meal- 
offering, i. e. an offering of bread, 
wine, oil, flour, and such like, as is 
observed on Gen. 4. 3, 4. This has 
led some commentators to suppose 
that Gideon, by such an oblation, re- 
cognized in his visitor a divine per- 
son, whom he intended to honor by a 
real sacrifice, and in fact the Greek 
version renders it. ' I will bring forth 
a sacrifice, and sacrifice before thee.' 
Others regard it merely as a hospita- 
ble meal provided for the entertain- 
ment of a respectable stranger. But 
in this case it is not so easy to per- 
ceive how Gideon could have antici- 
pated the working of a sign or mira- 
cle in connexion with the offering, 
as it is evident he did. He would 
seem, in fact, to have forgotten the 
request which he had a moment be- 
fore made. The remark of Henry 
on the word is at least very plausi- 
ble: — 'It is the same word that is 
used for a meat-offering (meal-offer- 
ing), and perhaps that word which 
signifies both, because Gideon in- 
tended to leave it to this divine per- 
son, to determine which it should be, 
when he had it before him, whether 
a feast, or a meal-offering, and ac- 



19 IT a And Gideon went in, 
and made ready a kid, and un- 
leavened cakes of an ephah of 
flour : the llesh he put in a bas- 
ket, and he put the broth in a 

a Gen. 18. 6, 7, 8. 



cordingly he would be able to judge 
concerning him ; if he ate of it as 
common meat, he would suppose 
him to be a man, a prophet ; if other- 
wise, as it proved, he should know 
him to be an angel.' 

19. Made ready a kid, &c. The 
manner in which the Arabs still en- 
tertain strangers will cast light upon 
this passage. Shaw, in his Preface, 
observes; — ' Besides a bowLof milk, 
and a basket of figs, raisins, or dates, 
which upon our arrival were present- 
ed to us, to stay our appetites, the 
master of the tent where we lodged, 
fetched us from his flock, according 
to the number of our company, a 
kid or a goat, a lamb or a sheep, 
half of which was immediately seeth- 
ed by his wife, and served with cus- 
casoe; the rest was made kabab ; i. e. 
cut into pieces and roasted, which 
we reserved for our breakfast or din- 
ner next day.' ItPut the broth in a 

pot, &c. We are to infer, according 
to the editor of the Pictorial Bible, 
either that Gideon boiled or stewed the 
kid and served up the meat and soup 
separately ; or else that he stewed one 
part of the kid, and roasted or boiled 
the other. Both methods are con- 
sonant to oriental usages ; and, per- 
haps, the latter is the best hypothesis, 
as the animal thus divided may be 
the more speedily dressed. In this 
case, the roasted part w-as probably 
prepared in the most usual way of 
preparing a hasty dish, that is, by 



88 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1256. 



pot, and brought it out unto 
him under the oak, and present- 
ed it. 

20 And the angel of God said 
unto him, Take the flesh and 
the unleavened cakes, and May 
them upon this rock, and c pour 
out the broth. And he did so. 

21 TT Then the angel of the 
Lord put forth the end of the 
staff that was in his hand, and 
touched the flesh and the un- 
leavened cakes ; and d there rose 

b eh. 13. 19. c See 1 Kings IS. 33, 34. 

cutting- the meat into small pieces, 
several of which are strung upon a 
skewer, and so roasted or rather 
broiled ; as several of these skewers 
of meat can be dressed together, a 
meal may in this way be very soon 
prepared. This dish, he remarks, 
is called kaboob, and is very com- 
mon in western Asia. When meat 
is thus dressed in tvio ways, the stew 
is generally intended for immediate 
use, and the kaboob for a future 
meal, or for the traveller to carry 
with him for his refreshment on the 
way. As Gideon brought he meat, 
as distinguished from the 'broth,' in 
a basket, it was probably intended by 
him that the stranger should take it 
away with him for his future use. 
This was a proper mark of careful 
hospitality and attention. The bas- 
ket was, probably, a small hand-bas- 
ket made of palm-leaves or rushes. 

IT Brought it out unto him under 

the oak. See Note on Gen. 18. 6-8. 
The Arabs are accustomed, even to 
the present day, to receive their 
guests under a shade in the open air. 
21. There rose up fire out of the 
rock, &c. Shoxving hereby that he 
was not a man who needed meat, 



up fire out of the rock, and con- 
sumed the flesh and the unleav- 
ened cakes. Then the angel of 
the Lord departed out of his 
sight. 

22 And when Gideon 'per- 
ceived that he was an angel of 
the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O 
Lord God ! f for because I have 
seen an angel of the Lord face 
to face. 



d Lev. 9. 24. 1 Kings 18. 33. 2 Chron. 7. 
1. e ch. 13. 21. f Gen. 16. 13, and 32. 30 
Ex. 33. 20. ch. 13. 22. 



but the Son of God, who was to be 
served and honored by sacrifice ; and 
signifying also to Gideon that he had 
' found grace in his sight,' for God 
usually testified his acceptance of 
sacrifices, by kindling them with fire 
from heaven. The acceptance of 
the sacrifice was also a token of the 
acceptance of his person ; it went to 
confirm the commission now given 
him, and to afford him every needed 

assurance of success. ^Departed 

out of his sight. Though he had 
hitherto appeared in the form of a 
traveller, with a staff in his hand, 
yet he did not walk off as a man, 
but vanished and disappeared as a 
spirit ; perhaps in the flame of fire 
which he had kindled. Comp. ch. 
13. 20. 

22. Perceived that he was an angel 
of the Lord. Rather, ' Perceived that 
he was the angel of the Lord.' v. 11. 

Comp. Gen. 32. 30 ; Ex. 33. 20. 

^ Alas I O Lord God! &c. An ellip- 
tical sentence strikingly expressive 
of the agitation and terror into which 
Gideon was thrown, upon discover- 
ing the real character of the Angel. 
It is, as if he had said, ' Have mercy 
upon me, O Lord God, or I shall 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



89 



23 And the Lord said unto 
him, g Peace be unto thee ; fear 
not : thou shalt not die. 

24 Then Gideon built an altar 
there unto the Lord, and called 
it Jehovah-shalom : unto this 

g Dan. 10. 19 



surely die, because I have seen the 
angel of Jehovah face to face !' As 
remarked upon Gen. 16. 13, it was 
anciently a prevalent sentiment, that 
if any man saw God, or his repre- 
sentative Angel, he must die. On 
this account, Gideon is alarmed and 
prays for his life. ' Ever since man 
has by sin exposed himself to God's 
wrath and curse, an express from 
heaven has been a terror to him, as 
he scarcely dares expect good tidings 
thence; at least, in this world of 
sense, it is a very awful thing to 
have any sensible conversation with 
that world of spirits, to which we 
are so much strangers.' Henry. 

23. The Lord said unto him, Peace 
be unto thee, &c. ' Peace,' i. e. safety, 
life, well-being; the exact reverse 
of what he feared. It is uncertain 
whether this was spoken in an audi- 
ble voice, or by inward suggestion , 
probably the latier. ' The angel that 
depaned for the wonder, yet returns 
for the comfort of Gideon. It is not 
usual with God to leave his children 
in amaze, but he brings them out in 
the same mercy which led them in. 
and will magnify his grace in the 
one, no less than his power in the 
other.' Bp. Hall. 

24. Gideon built an altar there — 
and called it Jehovah-shalom. That 
is, upon the top of the rock, on which 
the miracle had been wrought, v. 2G. 
The purpose for which the altar was 
erected, is explained in the verses 



day it h is yet in Ophrah of the 
Abi-ezrites. 

25 IT And it came to pass the 
same night, that the Lord said 
unto him, Take thy father's 
young bullock, even the second 

h ch. 8. 32. 



immediately following. The words 
!D"l^tZ) inn* 1 Yehovah shalom, literal- 
ly signify, The Lord, peace, and he 
probably so denominated the altar in 
reference to the assurance of peace 
and blessing given him on that me- 
morable spot. 

25. And it came to pass the sa'me 
night. Rather, ' for it came to pass 
the same night;' intimating the rea- 
son that led him to erect the altar. 
The incident is mentioned in the 
preceding verse by anticipation. 
There is no ground to suppose that 
Gideon erected the altar before he 
had received the divine command 
for so doing, and that was not till 
the night after the vision, as is evi- 
dent from what follows. But it is 
entirely accordant with Scripture 
usage to relate an event at first in 
the gross, in a general and compen- 
dious way, and afterwards to de- 
scribe it in detail, with an express 
enumeration of all the circumstances. 

IF Take thy father's young hillock, 

even the second bullock. Or, Heb. 
' and the second bullock,' implying 
that two bullocks were now to be 
slain ; but as mention is made of 
only one in v. 26, 28, our present 
rendering is probably correct. But 
why this animal is distinguished 
by the epithet ' second,' is a question 
not easily answered. It may be con- 
jectured, that the Midianites had 
taken away all the cattle of the Is- 
raelites that they could lay their 



90 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



bullock of seven years old, and 
throw down the altar of Baal 
that thy father hath, and ! cut 
down the grove that is by it : 

26 And build an altar unto the 
Lord thy God upon the top of 
this rock, in the ordered place, 

i Ex. 34. 13. Deut. 7. 5. 



hands upon, so that Gideon's father 
had very few cattle left, perhaps on- 
ly two, and of these the ' second,' in 
point of age, Gideon is now directed 
to offer as the fittest for sacrifice. 
After all, the grounds of the epithet 
cannot be satisfactorily settled. — As 
Gideon's father appears to have been 
addicted to idolatry, as well as many 
of his fellow-townsmen, it may be, 
as many of the elder commentators 
suppose, that this bullock had been 
kept and fattened by him for a sacri- 
fice to Baal. IT The altar of Baal 

that thy father hath. Which belong- 
ed to his father, probably as being 
built on his ground, and the place of 
his worship, though evidently de- 
signed for the common use of the 

whole city, v. 29, 30. IT Cut down 

the grove that is by it. Probably a 
grove dedicated to Ashtaroth, and 
perhaps containing her image, as the 
original word is H'lffi^ Asherah, on 
which see Note on ch. 3. 7. ' First 
must Baal's altar be ruined, ere God's 
be built : both may not stand togeth- 
er : the true God xvill have no socie- 
ty with idols, neither will allow it 
us. I do not hear him say, " That 
altar and grove, which were abused 
to Baal, consecrate now to me ;" but 
as one whose holy jealousy will abide 
no worship till there be no idolatry, 
he first commands down the monu- 
ments of superstition, and then en- 
joins his own service : the wood of I 



and take the second bullock, 
and offer a burnt-sacrifice with 
the wood of the grove which 
thou shalt cut down. 

27 Then Gideon took ten men 
of his servants, and did as the 
Lord had said unto him : and 



Baal's grove must be used to burn a 
sacrifice unto God. When it was 
once cut down, God's detestation and 
their danger ceased ; the good crea- 
tures of God, that have been profaned 
to idolatry, may, in a change of their 
use, be employed to the holy service 
of their Maker.' Bp. Hall. 

26. Upon the top of this rock. Heb. 
fiTil tt$fcn ffifcn Jtf at rosh ham- 
maoz hazzeh, upon the top of this 
strong-hold. The native rock had 
probably been in some way fortified 
and converted into a fortress, to se- 
cure them from the Midianites. 

IT In the ordered place. Or, Heb. 
{"D'lyfai bammaaralcah , in an orderly 
manner. The original signifies ar- 
rangement, disposition, order, and 
doubtless has reference to the pre- 
scribed mode of erecting the altar, 
Ex. 20. 24, 25, and also of laying on 
the wood and the pieces of flesh pre- 
pared for sacrifice. The ceremony 
was to be gone about with care and 
reverence ; it was not to be performed 
in a cursory, hurried, or irregulat 
manner, but with a due observance 
of all the appointed formalities. Al- 
though Gideon was not a priest, nor 
was this the established place of sa- 
crifice or worship, yet God may dis- 
pense with his own institutions, 
whenever it seems good in his eyes. 
His call and commission can make 
any person, and his choice any place, 
sacred. 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



91 



so it was, because he feared his 
father's household, and the men 
of the city, that he could not do 
it by day, that he did it by night. 
28 II And when the men of the 
city arose early in the morning, 
behold, the altar of Baal was 
cast down, and the grove was 
cut down that ivas by it, and the 
second bullock was offered upon 
the altar that was built. 



27. Feared his father's household. 
Lest they should have opposed him 
irom an apprehension, that the de- 
struction of the altar would incense 
the Midianites, and so bring aug- 
mented evil upon themselves, v. 30. 
It is not to be inferred that Gideon 
feared the resentment of his kindred 
or neighbors, or that he shrunk from 
any danger connected with the un- 
dertaking ; but as a matter of policy 
and prudence, he saw fit to engage 
in the enterprise by night, when he 
would be least exposed to interrup- 
tion or opposition from the votaries 
of Baal. It appears obvious that 
his father was of this number ; ac- 
cordingly he took ten of his own 
sen-ants, in whom he could confide, 
and who, we may suppose, had, like 
their master, preserved their integ- 
rity, and not ' bowed the knee to 
Baal.' and by their aid faithfully ex- 
ecuted the work enjoined upon him. 

29. Tliey said, Gideon the son of 
Joash hath done this thing. By what 
means they satisfied themselves of 
this, we are not informed. The ori- 
ginal, by using two nearly synony- 
mous words, 1©pn^1 TOI-n yidroshu 
vayebakkeshu, they inquired and inves- 
tigated, implies that a very careful 
and diligent inquiry was made. It 
is probable that Gideon had been 



29 And they said one to ano- 
ther, Who hath done this thing ? 
And when they had inquired 
and asked, they said, Gideon the 
son of Joash hath done this 
thing. 

30 Then the men of the city 
said unto Joash, Bring out thy 
son, that he may die : because 
he hath cast down the altar of 



previously known to be somewhat 
disaffected to the prevalent idolatry, 
and upon putting this and all other 
circumstances together, they hesitate 
not to fix their suspicions upon him, 
which may have been confirmed by 
the disclosures of some of the party 
engaged with him. In some way or 
other, the evidence was conclusive 
against him, and nothing but his 
blood could satisfy the persecuting 
rage of his idolatrous fellow-towns- 
men. 

30. Bring out thy son that he may 
die. As a profane and sacrilegious 
wretch. To such a pitch of impiety 
were these degenerate Israelites ar- 
rived, that they do not scruple to call 
upon Joash to deliver up his own son 
to death, for aiming to suppress prac- 
tices, which, if the law had had its 
course, would have subjected them to 
death. The divine law expressly 
prescribed that the worship of idols 
should be treated as a capital offence, 
and yet these wicked men impiously 
turn the penalty upon the worship- 
pers of the God of Israel ! ' Was it 
not enough to offer the choicest of 
their bullocks to Baal, but must the 
bravest youths of their city fall as a 
sacrifice to that dunghill deity, when 
they pretended he was provoked'? 
How soon will idolators become per- 



92 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



Baal, and because he hath cut 
down the grove that was by it. 
31 And Joash said unto all that 
stood against him, Will ye plead 
for Baal ? will ye save him ? he 



secutors.' Henry. Rosenmuller sug- 
gests, with much plausibility, that it 
was in reference to this incident 
Gideon derived, his name, with pos- 
terity, from 2 "73 gada, to cut or hew 
down, q. d. a cutter-down, a demol- 
isher. Innumerable instances occur 
in the Scriptures, in which persons 
are called by acquired, and not by 
their original names, the latter being 
in fact often entirely lost. 

31. Joash said unto all that stood 
against him, &c. Joash had evidently 
before been a patron of Baal's altar, 
but here he appears decidedly taking 
part with his son who had demolish- 
ed it. To what the sudden change 
in his mind was owing, we are not 
informed. The probability, we think, 
is, that Gideon, perceiving in the 
morning to what a pitch of exaspe- 
ration the citizens were wrought, and 
how seriously they threatened his 
life, took occasion frankly to inform 
his father of the visit of the angel, 
and of all the circumstances of his 
call and commission, and that this, 
added to his feelings as a father, had 
served at once to convince him of 
his former error and to determine 
him to stand by his son against the 
rage of the populace. His argument 
is briefly this ; — Do not act thus pre- 
cipitately against my son ; for if 
Baal be really a God, he will avenge 
his own cause, and if he be not a god, 
then they who plead for him deserve 
instant death. A deity who cannot 
defend himself, is unworthy of the 
defence of others. This reasoning 



that will plead for him, let him 
be put to death whilst it is yei 
morning : if he be a god, let him 
plead for himself, because one 
hath cast down his altar. 



was unanswerable, and it prevailed. 
It was, in fact, a fair challenge to 
Baal to ' do either good or evil,' and 
the result convinced his worshippers 
of their folly in praying to one to 
help them who could not defend him- 
self. — The following is proposed as 
an amended translation of this verse, 
of which of course the Hebrew scho- 
lar alone is qualified to pronounce 
judgment; — 'And Joash said unto 
all that stood against (rather. by : up- 
on, i. e. round about him), will ye 
plead for Baal? will ye save him 
(Gideon )1 seeing that if he were a god 
w r hosoever should have dared to con- 
tend with him (Baal) would have 
died, before morning ; if he is a god 
he will himself plead with him (Gid- 
eon), because he hath cast down his 
altar.' The drift of Joash, as we 
understand the passage, is to repre- 
sent to Baal's votaries how absurd it 
is for them to undertake to avenge 
the insult done to their idol, when if 
he were a god, as they thought him 
to be, he would assuredly have taken 
the matter into his own hands and 
punished the offender on the spot 
without suffering him to see the light 
of the morning. We have little doubt 
that this is the true sense of the words. 
The common version is not only con- 
tradictory in making Joash propose, 
that he who pleadeth for Baal should 
be immediately put to death, and then 
asserting that Baal should plead for 
himself; but it erroneously renders 
Ip^n ~3> ad habboker, by whilst it is 
yet morning, when its true significa- 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



93 



32 Therefore on that day he 
called him k Jerubbaal, saying, 
Let Baal plead against him, be- 
cause he hath thrown down his 
altar. 

33 IT Then all l the Midianites, 
and the Amalekites, and the 

k 1 Sam. 12. 11. 2 Sam. 11. 21. See Jer. 
11. 13. Hos. 9. 10. l ver. 3. 

tion is until or against the morning, 
i. e. he would have perished against 
or previous to the morning ; Baal 
would have killed him outright. The 
proposed rendering is clearly con- 
firmed by the tenor of the next verse. 
The conduct of Joash, under these 
circumstances, leads us to remark, 
(1) That if we have been zealous in 
a bad cause, we should with greater 
zeal seek to amend what we have 
done amiss, by our open advocacy of 
the truth. (2) Nothing must prevail 
upon us to give up the innocent, 
whoever combine to destroy them. 
(3) Though it may be highly dan- 
gerous to reprove a wicked people, 
we must do our duty, and trust God 
with the event. 

32. He called him. Rather accord- 
ing to the Heb. idiom 'he was call- 
ed ;' not that his father particularly 
gave him that name, but it became 
an appellation by which he was gen- 
erally called. IT Jerubbaal. Heb. 

JafaTi Yerubbaal, doubtless contract- 
ed from ^22 SI* 1 yereb Baal, one with 
whom Baal pleads or contends ; i. e. 
impliedly, one with whom Baal may 
plead if he pleases ; with whom he 
s challenged to plead if he can or 
lare. According to a very common 
isage, it is a kind of play upon the 
original word for plead (mi rib), 
vhich occurs so often in the preced- 
-ng verse. The name was evidently 



children of the east were gather- 
ed together, and went over, and 
pitched in m the valley of Jezreel. 
34 But "the Spirit of the Lord 
came upon Gideon, and he °blew 
a trumpet; and Abi-ezer w r as 
gathered after him. 

m Josh. 17. 16. n ch. 3. 10. 1 Chron. 12. 
18. 2Chroti.24.20. o Num. 10.3. ch.3.27. 

intended to imply a standing defiance 
to Baal, to do his worst upon Gideon 
and his adherents. Instead of this 
name, we find in 2 Sam. 11.21, the 
equivalent title Jn^DI^ Yerubbosheth, 
i. e. the shame, or the abomination, 
shall contend, applied to Gideon. 
Baal is in several instances called, 
in the prophets, ' the shame,' ' the 
shameful thing,' &c. See Jer. 11. 

13; Hos. 9, 10. IT Saying, let 

Baal, &c. Rather, 'Meaning, Let 
Baal,' &c. Thus the original (IfcfcO) 
is often to be understood. It is 
equivalent to the phrase 'which being 
interpreted is.' &c. 

33. Then all the Midianites and 
the Amalekites — went over. Heb. ' all 
Midian and Amalek.' They passed 
over the Jordan and' crossed the 
country as far as to the borders of 
Manasseh and Issachar, and pitched 
in the ' plain' (rather than the ' val- 
ley') of Esdraelon, anciently called 
Jezreel^ of which see on ch. 5. 21. 

34. The spirit of the Lord came up- 
on Gideon. Heb. XW2^ mm rTH 
*yna tlJK rua'h Yehovah labeshah eth 
Gidon, the spirit of the Lord clothed 
Gideon. That is, filled him up fully, 
possessed him entirely, raising him 
above himself, in all the endowments 
necessary for his arduous undertak- 
ing. Chal. ' a spirit of fortitude from 
before the Lord clothed Gideon.' 
The phrase is remarkable, as inli- 



94 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



35 And he sent messengers 
throughout all Manasseh ; who 
also was gathered after him : 
and he sent messengers unto 
Asher, and unto Zebulun, and 
unto JNaphtali ; and they came 
up to meet them. 

mating his being endued with super- 
natural courage, zeal, and wisdom 
in the prosecution of the work before 
him. Being thus clothed with the 
armor of God he < waxed valiant in 
fight,' and was enabled to ' turn to 
flight the armies of the aliens.' The 
same phrase in the original occurs 1 
Chron. 12. 18 ; 2Chron. 24. 20, though 
in both instances rendered in our ver- 
sion, ' The spirit of the Lord came 
upon/ which comes far short of the 
force and significancy of the He- 
brew. A similar phraseology is met 
with in the N. T. Luke 24. 49, ' Tar- 
ry ye in the city of Jerusalem, till ye 
be endued (Gr. clothed) with power 

from on high.'' IT And he blew a 

trumpet. Caused trumpets to be blown 
to call in volunteers, as we before re- 
marked of Ehud, ch. 3. 27.- <i\ Abie- 
zer was gathered after him. Heb. 
p^T* 1 yizzaek, was called or cried to- 
gether, was convoked by proclamation, 
By Abiezer, is meant the house or 
family of Abiezer, the kindred of 
Gideon, as Israel often stands for Is- 
raelites. 

35. Throughout all Manasseh. Pro- 
bably on both sides the Jordan. 

'RUnlo Asher — Zebulun — and Naph- 
tali. These were near to th? half 
tribe of Manasseh on the north. As 
they naturally concluded that if their 
neighbors were overrun by the Mi- 
dianites, their own turn would come 
next, they were forward to unite 
against a common enemy. The 



36 IF And Gideon said unto 
God, If thou wilt save Israel by 
my hand, as thou hast said, 

37 p Behold, I will put a fleece 
of wool in the floor : and if the 
dew be on the fleece only, and 

p See Ex. 4. 3, 4, 6, 7. 



tribe of Ephraim lay to the south of 
Manasseh. They were not invited, 
and this gave rise to the crimination 
mentioned ch. 8. 1. 

37. I will put a fleece of wool, Sic 
It is exceedingly difficult to determine 
whether Gideon desired the working 
of this miracle for the confirmation 
of his own wavering faith, or mainly 
to strengthen the confidence of his 
followers. From the circumstances 
of his interview with the Angel, 
from the success of his endeavors to 
destroy idolatry in his father's house, 
from the readiness of several of the 
tribes to enlist under his banners, and 
more especially from its being said 
just before, that he was ' clothed with 
the spirit of the Lord,' it would seem 
scarcely credible that he could have 
desired any stronger assurance him- 
self of the divine presence and bless- 
ing. Yet considering the weakness 
of human nature, it is more than 
possible that this might have been 
the case ; that the view of the great 
multitudes of the enemy may have 
rather intimidated his spirit, and 
made him anxious for a still farther 
manifestation of the divine favor, 
as the seal of his commission. Some 
have even supposed that God, who 
intended to vouchsafe to him these 
new tokens of his mission, put into 
his heart to ask them. However this 
may be, the result went, (1) To il- 
lustrate the divine condescension. 
God, instead of beinsr offended with 



B. C. 1249 



CHAPTER VI. 



95 



it be dry upon all the earth be- 
sides, then shall 1 know that 
thou wilt save Israel by my 
hand, as thou hast said. 
38 And it was so : for he rose 



his servant, kindly acceded to his 
request. A fellow creature who had 
given such solemn promises, would 
have been quite indignant at finding 
his veracity seemingly called in 
question. How offensive was the 
apparent tenor of the request ; — ' If 
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, 
and do as thou hast said, behold I will 
put a fleece of wool on the floor; 
and if the dew be on the fleece only 
and it be dry upon all the earth be- 
side, then shall I know that thou wilt 
save Israel by mine hand, as thou 
hast said. 1 Nor did even this suf- 
fice; he must go still farther, and 
prove God a second time by revers- 
ing the request, before he can believe 
that God will do as he has said. Yet 
the Most High, in his amazing cle- 
mency, far from being offended, gives 
him the satisfaction he desires and 
accommodates himself to the wishes 
of his doubting servant ! ' Is this, 
O Lord, the manner of men !' (2) To 
show the efficacy of prayer. It was 
prayer that prevailed in this instance. 
With great humility and much ten- 
derness of spirit, Gideon besought the 
divine interposition. When he re- 
peated his request for a second sign, 
the reverse of the former, he did it 
with an humble apology, like Abra- 
ham in similar circumstances, de- 
precating God's displeasure, because 
it looked so much like a capricious 
distrust, and his supplication pre- 
vailed. So we, under circumstances 
of pressing exigency, may look for a 
gracious answer to our importunate 



up early on the morrow, and 
thrust the fleece together, and 
wringed the dew out of the 
fleece, a bowl-full of water. 
39 And Gideon said unto God, 



prayers. Not that we are to expect 
miraculous manifestations, for the 
age of miracles is past, but we may 
confidently expect that even in rela- 
tion to temporal matters, our prayers 
will not go forth in vain ; while in 
reference to spiritual matters, they 
shall descend almost in visible an- 
swers on our souls. Were we to 
suppose the whole church, or neigh- 
borhood where we dwell, to be in a 
state of the utmost barrenness and de- 
solation, as it respects the blessings 
of salvation, yet if we cry earnestly 
to God, the dew of his grace shall 
descend upon us in the richest abun- 
dance. If, on the other hand, the 
judgments of heaven are poured forth 
around us, to us a merciful exemp- 
tion shall be given, according to the 
divine promise, ' A thousand shall 
fall at thy side, and ten thousand at 
thy right hand, but it shall not come 
nigh thee.' No man can conceive 
to what an extent God will magnify 
his grace and condescension towards 
an humble supplicant, calling upon 
him from the depths of his soul, till 
he has liimself made the happy ex- 
periment. ' We may ask what we 
will, and it shall be done unto us.' 

U Dry upon all the earth beside. 

Upon all the ground immediately 
advent to the place. 

38. A bowl full of water. For an 
account of the abundant dews which 
fall in the East, see Note on Gen. 27. 
28. ' We remember,' says the editor 
of the Pictorial Bible on this place, 
' while travelling in Western Asia, 



96 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1.249. 



q Let not thine anger be hot 
against me, and I will speak but 
this once : let me prove, I pray 
thee, but this once with the 
fleece ; let it now be dry only 
upon the fleece, and upon all 
the ground let there be dew. 

40 And God did so that night : 
for it was dry upon the fleece 
only, and there was dew on all 
the ground. 

q Gen. 18. 32. 



to have found all the baggage, which 
had been left in the open air, so wet, 
when we came forth from the tent in 
the morning, that it seemed to have 
been exposed to heavy rain, and we 
could with difficulty believe that no 
rain had fallen. So also, when sleep- 
ing in the open air. the sheep-skin 
cloak which served for a covering 
has been found, in the morning, 
scarcely less wet than if it had been 
immersed in water.' 

39. Let me prove — with the fleece. 

Let me make trial. It Let it be dry 

upon the fleece. This might be con- 
sidered a more extraordinary event 
than the former, as it is natural for 
wool to absorb whatever moisture 
there may be in the air about it ; but 
this was in direct contravention of 
the ordinary laws of nature. 'So 
willing is God to give to the heirs of 
promise strong consolation, even by 
two immutable things. He suffers 
himself not only to be prevailed 
with by their importunities, but to 
be prescribed to by their doubts and 
dissatisfactions.' Henry. 



CHAPTER VII. 

1. The well of Harod. Heb. ' foun- 
tain of Harod,' i. e. of trepidation. 
If this were a town or village, it is no 



CHAPTER VII. 

THEN "Jerubbaal (who is 
Gideon) and all the people 
that were with him, rose up early 
and pitched beside the well of 
Harod : so that the host of the 
Midianites were on the north 
side of them by the hill of Mo- 
reh, in the valley. 
2 And the Lord said unto 
Gideon, The people that are 

a ch. 6. 32. 



where else mentioned. Probably as 
T"in liarad signifies to shake, or trem- 
ble through fear, the fountain may 
have had its name from the terror 
and panic with which the Midianites 
were seized at this place ; or, what 
is still more likely, from the fear 
which induced many of his adhe- 
rents to turn back from that place, as 
related v. 3, where this very word 
occurs Tim &T" 1 "ifa mi yare ventu- 
red, whosoever is fearful and afraid. 
Nothing is more common in the 
Scriptures than for persons and 
places to be named from memorable 
events. The fountain was situated 
not far from Gilboa, on the borders 

of Manasseh. IT Hill of Moreh. 

Heb. { hill of the archer.' Probably 
an eminence in the Gilboa range of 
mountains, and conjectured to be so 
called from the archers that there 
wounded Saul, 1 Sam. 31. 3, which 
if correct will prove the book to have 
been written subsequent to that event. 

IT In the valley. The valley of 

Jezreel or Esdraelon, of which see 
ch. 5. 21. 

2. The people -are too many. Though 
the whole army of the Israelites con- 
sisted of only 32,000, while that of 
the Midianites amounted to at least 
135,000, or four to one to the Israel- 



B, C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



97 



with thee are too many for me 
to give the Midianites into their 
hands, lest Israel b vaunt them- 
selves against me, saying, Mine 
own hand hath saved me. 



t Dent. 8. 17. Isai. 
Cor. 4. 7. 



10. 13. 1 Cor. 1. 29. 



ites, yet the Lord deems this small 
number entirely too large for the pur- 
poses he had in view, and even when 
diminished to 10,000, orders a still 
farther reduction. The reason of this 
command is given in what follows. 
The discharge of so large a number 
of volunteers by no means implies 
that they did not do right in willing- 
ly offering themselves to the expedi- 
tion ; the act of enlisting in the ser- 
vice was proper and commendable, 
but God saw that the spirit by which 
they were actuated was in multitudes 
of them defective, and therefore so 
ordered it that they should be put fo 
the test, while at the same time he 
secured to his own great name the 
entire glory of the victory. We often 
read in the sacred narrative of God's 
bringing about great events by few 
agents, but this is the first instance 
in which he purposely made them 
fewer. His design in addition to 
what has been mentioned above 
doubtless was, (1) To show that as 
to any particular instruments, he 
could, in effecting his purposes, easi- 
ly dispense with them, and that they 
were more indebted to him for em- 
ploying them, than he to them for 
tendering their services. (2) To 
shame and humble his people for 
their past cowardice in tamely sub- 
mitting to the yoke of Midian. By 
the result of this enterprise he would 
afford them convincing proof that 
the disproportion of numbers formed 
9 



3 Now therefore go to, pro- 
claim in the ears of the people, 
saying, c Whosoever is fearful 
and afraid, let him return and 
depart early from mount Gilead 



c Deut. 20 a 



no apology for their remissness; that 
if they had, as they ought to have 
done, made sure of the favor of God, 
one of them might have chased a 
thousand. But chief of all, his pur- 
pose is to silence and exclude boast- 
ing — ' lest Israel vaunt themselves 
against me.' ' How jealous is God 
of his honor! He is willing to give 
deliverance to Israel, but the praise 
of the deliverance he will keep to 
himself; and will shorten the means, 
that he may have the measure of the 
gl-ory.' Bp. Hall. 

3. Proclaim in the ears of the peo- 
ple, &c. This was according to a 
standing enactment of the law, Deut 
20. 8, the design of which was to 
prevent the contagious effects of 
cowardice or ' faint-heartedness,' in 
the army. The punctilious obser- 
vance of this precept by Judas Mac- 
cabeus is mentioned 1 Mac. 3. 56, a 
portion of ancient history, which un- 
fortunately is apt to be greatly over- 
looked and undervalued in conse- 
quence of being contained in the 
'Apocrypha.' These writings, though 
not canonical, are intrinsically of 
very great value, and Christians ge- 
nerally, if but made aware of their 
true character as to authority, would 
prize their Bibles none the less for 

containing them. IT Depart early 

from mount Gilead. A clause of 
very difficult solution from the fact, 
that mount Gilead was on the east- 
ern side of the Jordan, whereas Gid- 



98 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249 



And there returned of the peo- j Gideon, The people are yet too 
pie twenty and two thousand ; many ; bring them down unto 



and there remained ten thousand 
4 And the Lord said unto 



eon was now on the west, not far from 
mount Gilboa, and did not cross the 
Jordan till after the victory. Some 
would solve the difficulty by suppos- 
ing that there was a mountain called 
Gilead on the west of the Jordan as 
well as on the east. But as there is 
no evidence of this, the hypothesis 
merely cuts the knot without untying 
it. Others again propose a new 
reading for the text, viz. Gilboa in- 
stead of Gilead. But this is equally 
gratuitous. For our own part, as the 
true import of the Heb. 352 tzaphag, 
rendered depart early, is left by the 
lexicographers emirely undetermin- 
ed, we feel disposed to abide by the 
rendering of the Chaldee, 'Whoso- 
ever is fearful and afraid, let him re- 
turn, and let a selection le made from 
mount Gilead' i. e. from the men of 
mount Gilead, or the Abiezrites, 
among whom Gideon dwelt, and 
upon whom he supposed he could 
put more depen dance. This inter- 
pretation would seem to be strikingly 
confirmed by the complaint of the 
Ephraimites in ch. 8. 1, 2, on which 

see Notes. IT There returned of 

the people twenty and two thousand. 
The application of a rigid test is apt 
to make thinning work in the ranks 
of God's professed friends. One 
would have thought that against 
such an enemy as Midian, and under 
such a leader as Gideon, no Israelite 
would have owned himself fearful 
and proved recreant to his duty. Yet 
two parts out of three turned their 
backs upon their country's standard 
when they saw the numbers and the 



the water, and I will try them 
for thee there ; and it shall be 



strength of the enemy! Alas, if it 
should be found that the true and 
constant hearts enlisted under the 
banner of Christ bear no larger pro- 
portion than this to the whole num- 
ber, who will not do well to fear 
and tremble for his own fidelity 1 
' Christianity requires men. David's 
royal band of worthies was the type 
of the forces of the church, all va- 
liant men, and able to encounter with 
thousands. Doth but a' foul word, 
or a frown, scare thee from Christ ? 
Doth the loss of a little land or silver 
disquiet thee 1 Doth but the sight of 
the Midianites in the valley strike 
thee 1 Home then, home to the 
world; thou art not for the conquer- 
ing band of Christ. If thou canst 
not resolve to follow him through in- 
famy, prisons, racks, gibbets, flames, 
depart to thine house, and save thy 
life to thy loss.' Bp. Ball. 

4. The people are yet too many. It 
is hardly possible to conceive a se- 
verer trial of faith than that to which 
Gideon's was now subjected. While 
he doubtless thought his men too few, 
God saw that they were too many, 
and ordered a still farther reduction ! 
' This may help us to understand 
those providences which sometimes 
seem to weaken the church and its 
interests— its friends are too many, 
too mighty, too wise, for God to work 
deliverance by ; God is taking a 
course to lessen them, that he may 
be exalted in his own strength.' Hen- 
ry. IT / will try them. Will put 

them to the proof; or, Heb. ' will se- 
parate, will purify,' the word usually 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



99 



that of whom I say unto thee, 
This shall go with thee, the 
same shall go with thee ; and of 
whomsoever I say unto thee, 
This shall not go with thee, the 
same shall not go. 

applied to the assaying or refining of 
metals. Is 48. 10 ; Mai. 3. 2, 3. 

%For thee. God himself knew 

perfectly beforehand who would 
stand the test and who would not, 
but for the satisfaction of Gideon, he 
would have the trial made in an 

open and convincing manner. 

li Of whom I say unto thee, This shall 
go. &c. That is, whom I shall in- 
dicate by the result of the experiment, 
not in express words. We have be- 
fore remarked of the word ' say,' 
when applied both to God and men, 
that it by no means necessarily im- 
plies verbal communication, but often 
simply the mental purpose of the 
speaker. Probably a better render- 
ing throughout the clause would be — 
' will go,' ' will not go,' &c , making 
the sense rather that of a prediction, 
than of a command. In the first in- 
stance, the timorous were separated 
by public proclamation ; in the pre- 
sent, the same effect was to be produc- 
ed by a private signal, understood 
only by God and his servant Gideon. 
Multitudes had remained rather than 
to incur the imputation of coward- 
ice, whom the Most High still saw 
to be cravens at heart. 

5. Every one that lappeth — as a 
dog, &e. The two modes of drink- 
ing here described have been differ- 
ently understood, and the first, in par- 
ticular, has been the subject of vari- 
ous interpretations. The dog drinks 
by shaping the end of his long thin 
tongue into the form of a spoon, which 



5 So he brought down the 
people unto the water : and the 
Lord said unto Gideon, Every 
one that lappeth of the water 
with his tongue as a dog lap- 
peth, him shalt thou set by him- 

he plies rapidly to and from the wa- 
ter, throwing each time a spoonful 
of the fluid into his mouth. The hu- 
man tongue is not adapted to this 
use ; and it is physically impossible, 
therefore, for a man to lap literally 
as a dog laps. The true explanation 
undoubtedly is, that these men, in- 
stead of kneeling down to take a long 
draught, or successive draughts, from 
the water, employed their hand as 
the dog employs his tongue, — that is, 
forming it into a hollow spoon, and 
dipping water with it from the stream. 
This mode of drinking is often prac- 
tised in the East, and practice alone 
can give that peculiar tact which gen- 
erally excites the wonder of travel- 
lers. The interchange of the hand 
between the water and the mouth is 
managed with amazing dexterity, and 
with nearly or quite as much rapidi- 
ty as the tongue of the dog in the 
same act. The water is not sucked 
out of the hand, but by a peculiar 
jerk, is thrown into the mouth before 
the hand is brought close to it, so that 
the hand is approaching with a fresh 
supply almost; before the preceding 
has been swallowed; which consti- 
tutes another resemblance to the ac- 
tion of the dog's tongue. In travelling, 
when one comes to water and wishes 
to drink, he cannot well stop the 
whole party to wait for him, and 
therefore, if on foot, any delay would 
oblige him to unusual exertion in 
order to overtake his party. There- 
fore he drinks in the manner above 



100 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



self; likewise every one that 
boweth down upon his knees to 
drink. 

6 And the number of them that 
lapped, putting their hand to 
their mouth, were three hun- 
dred men : but all the rest of 
the people bowed down upon 
their knees to drink water. 

7 And the Lord said unto 
Gideon, d By the three hundred 
men that lapped will I save you, 
and deliver the Midianites into 

d 1 Sam. 14. 6. 

described, and satisfies his thirst in 
much shorter time than would one 
who should kneel or lie down for the 
purpose, and indulge himself in a 
more leisurely draught. This con- 
sumes so much time, that few, but 
those who are mounted, indulge in 
it, as they can ride on before and sat- 
isfy themselves by the time their par- 
ty comes up ; or if behind, can easily 
overtake them. This explanation 
will serve to show how the distinc- 
tion operated, and why those who 
'lapped, putting their hand to their 
mouth,' were considered to evince 
an alacrity and readiness for action 
which peculiarly fitted them for the 
service in which Gidepn was engag- 
ed.— It may be observed that the 
original word for lappeth (jp^i yalok,) 
is precisely the sound which a dog 

makes in drinking. IT Him shall 

thou set by himself. Heb. y^tttatzig. 
As this is the same word with that 
employed, ch. 7. 37, to signify the 
pulling by itself of the fleece, it would 
seem thai that miracle had a design- 
ed though latent reference to the two 
classes of men here distinguished ; 
of whom the one saturated themselves 
with water, while th^ other, through 



thine hand : and let all the other 
people go every man unto his 
place. 

8 So the people took victuals 
in their hand, and their trum- 
pets : and he sent all the rest of 
Israel every man unto his tent, 
and retained those three hun- 
dred men. And the host of 
Midian was beneath him in the 
valley. 

9 TT And it came to pass the 
same e night, that the Lord said 

e Gen. 46. 2,3. 

a commendable hardihood and self- 
denial, left themselves comparatively 
dry. The reader, however, will ex- 
ercise his own judgment as to recog- 
nizing any such allusion. 

7. Will I save you. You, the na- 
tion ; the word being in the plural. 

8. So the people look victuals, &c. 
That is, the three hundred who lap- 
ped. They took the necessary quan- 
tity of victuals for the day's con- 
sumption, while the others were dis- 
missed to their tents, i. e. to go 
where they pleased. It is highly 
probable, however, that many of them 
remained within hearing, though at 
a safe distance, and followed up the 
blow after the assault had been made 
and the route commenced by the se- 
lect band. Those who shun the con- 
flict are often forward to share the 

victory. HAnd retained. Besides 

the sense of ' retaining,' the Heb. 
implies that he clung to them with 

strong affection and confidence. 

IT The host of Midian vms beneath him 
in the valley. In the valley of Jezreel. 
This circumstance should be particu- 
larly noted in connexion with the 
dream mentioned below. 

9. And it came to pass the same 



h. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VII 



101 



unto him, Arise, get thee down 
unto the host ; for I have de- 
livered it into thine hand. 

10 But if thou fear to go down, 
go thou with Phurah thy ser- 
vant down to the host : 

1 1 And thou shalt 'hear what 
they say ; and afterward shall 
thine hands be strengthened to 
go down unto the host. Then 
went he down with Phurah his 
servant unto the outside of the 
armed men that were in the host. 

f ver. 13, 14, 15. See Gen. 24. 14. 1 Sam. 
14.0,10. 



night, &c. It should seem that the 
previous reduction of his numbers 
had filled Gideon with some secret 
misgivings. God therefore gracious- 
ly offered him a farther sign, where- 
by his faith should be confirmed, and 
his fear altogether dispelled. This 
was a sign that should be given him 
by the enemy themselves. He was 
to go down with his servant, to the 
enemy's camp, and hear what they 
themselves said. The result per- 
fectly satisfied the mind of Gideon ; 
he had no doubt now but that God 
would fulfil his promise ; and in full 
assurance of faith he instantly ar- 
ranged everything for the encounter. 

IT / have delivered it into thine 

hand. It is as certain as if it were 
already done. 

10. Go thou with Phurah thy ser- 
vant. Heb. ^pSD naarka, thy young 
man. His being accompanied by his 
servant would not only tend to di- 
minish his own fears, but their unit- 
ed testimony, as to what they should 
hear, would confirm the statements 
made to the people on their return. 

11. Thine hands be strengthened. 
Thou shalt be encouraged, embold- 



12 And the Midianites, and the 
Amalekites, £ and all the child- 
ren of the east, lay along in the 
valley like grasshoppers for mul- 
titude ; and their camels were 
without number, as the sand 
by the sea-side for multitude. 

13 And when Gideon was 
come, behold, there was a man 
that told a dream unto his fel- 
low, and said, Behold, I dream- 
ed a dream, and lo, a cake of 
barley-bread tumbled into the 

g ch. 6. 5, 33, and 8. 10. 

ened. God, who both inspired the 
dream and directed Gideon's steps to 
the spot where he might hear it re- 
lated, knew perfectly well the effect 
it would have upon his mind, which 

he expressly foretels. T\Unto the 

outside of the armed men. Heb. ' to 
the outermost of the ranks by five.' 
Of this phrase see note on Ex. 13. 18 ; 
Josh. 1. 14. 

12. Lay along. Heb. tt* 1 ^!) nophe- 
lim, were lying fallen; i. e. lying 
prostrate and fallen asleep. It does 
not refer merely to the position they 
had chosen for their encampment, 
but to the bodily posture they were 
actually in at this time. The same 
phrase occurs in the same sense in 
the next verse, where mention is 
made of the prostration of the Mid- 
ianites' tents. It Like grasshoppers. 

Rather, ' like locusts ;' as also ch. 6. 

5. II And their camels. That these 

nations, especially Midian, abounded 
in camels, see Is. 60. 6. 

13. A cake of barley-bread tumbled, 
&c. To understand this, it is ne- 
cessary to revert to the circumstance 
before mentioned, v. 8, viz. that Gid- 
eon's forces were stationed on the 



102 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



host of Midian, and came unto 
a tent, and smote it that it fell, 
and overturned it that the tent 
lay along. 

14 And his fellow answered 
and said, This is nothing else 
save the sword of Gideon the 
son of Joash, a man of Israel : 

hill of Moreh, while the Midianites 
had pitched below in the valley. 
The barley-cake which the man saw 
in his dream, doubtless seemed to 
roll down the hill into the valley, 
overturning the tent or tents with 
which it came in contact. This 
naturally enough connected it with 
Gideon, while the apparent inade- 
quacy of the cause to produce this 
effect would strike the most casual 
observer. If it had been a great 
stone, the overturning of tents in its 
progress would have occasioned no 
wonder ; but that si^ch an effect 
should be produced by a barley-cake, 
seemed as little likely in human pro- 
bability as that Gideon with his little 
band should overthrow the vast host 
of Midian. That it was not only a 
cake, but a barley-cake, seems a cir- 
cumstance designed to show more 
strongly the insignificance of the 
cause. The use of barley was gra- 
dually superseded by that of wheat, 
and barley-bread became the food 
only of the lower orders, of convicts, 
and of beasts. It was therefore na- 
turally associated with the ideas of 

dishonor and of insignificance. 

TT Came unto a tent and smote it, &c. 
Another instance, as we understand 
it, of the Heb. usage by which the 
collect, sing, is employed for the plu- 
ral. It was not a single tent that was 
smitten by the rolling cake, and over- 
thrown, but it came among them like 



for into his hand hath God de- 
livered Midian, and all the host. 
15 IT And it was so, when 
Gideon heard the telling of the 
dream, and trie interpretation 
thereof, that he worshipped, and 
returned into the host of Israel, 
and said, Arise ; for the Lord 



a ball among nine-pins, prostrating 
every thing in its course. 

14. This is nothing else save the 
sword of Gideon. That is, this means 
nothing else than the sword, the vic- 
torious charge and onset, of Gideon. 
The interpretation as well as the 
dream were doubtless both of divine 
suggestion. ' A wise providence 
hath prepared a dream in the head 
of one Midianite, an interpretation 
in the mouth of another, and hath 
brought Gideon to be an auditor of 
both ; and hath made his enemies 
prophets of his victory, encouragers 
of the attempt, proclaimers of their 
own confusion !' Bp. Hall. ^De- 
livered Midian and all the host. Or, 
Heb. ' delivered Midian, even all the 
host.' 

15. The interpretation thereof. Heb, 
T-OB3 shibro, the breaking thereof; in- 
asmuch as the solution or explication 
of any thing obscure and difficult is 
like breaking the shell of a nut and 

getting at the kernel within. IT He 

worshipped. Bowed himself in a 
posture of reverence and adoration, 
and gratefully gave thanks to God 
for the encouragement he had now 
been permitted to hear from a source 
of which he little thought. ' To hear 
himself ealled but a barley-cake 
troubled him not, when he heard 
withal that his rolling down the hill 
should break the tents of Midian. It 
matters not how base we be thought, 



B. C. 1249,] 



CHAPTER VII. 



103 



hath delivered into your hand ' 
the host of Midian. 

16 And he divided the three 
hundred men into three compa- 
nies, and he put a trumpet in 
every man's hand, with empty 
pitchers, and lamps within the 
pitchers. 

17 And he said unto them, 
Look on me, and do likewise : 
and behold, when I come to the 



so we may be victorious: the soul 
that hath received full confirmation 
of God in the assurance of his salva- 
tion, cannot but bow the knee, and by 
gestures of body tell how it is ra- 
vished.' Bp. Hall. 

16. Into three companies. Heb. 
D^IDKI n'w';2 skeloskdk roshim, into 
three heads; i.e. three grand divi- 
sions. So it is said of the rivers of 
Eden, Gen. 2. 10, that ' they were 
parted and became into four heads," 1 
i. e. four principal or distinguished 
streams. See note in loc. The de- 
sign of dividing them in this manner 
was that they might appear to sur- 
round the enemy's camp more en- 
tirely, leading them to think that they 
were environed on every side by a 

great army. IT Put a trumpet in 

every mail's hand. Heb. tVHSTJ) *|rm 
db3 ""- xaylliiii shopharoth beyad 
kullam. gave trumpets into the hand 

of all of them. IT Empty pitchers. 

Made of earthen ware, so as to be 
easily broken. They were designed 
to conceal the lights till the proper 

time. IT Lamps vnthin the pitchers. 

Or. Heb. D"H5i lappidim, torches, 
flambeaux. Instead of lamps fur- 
nished with wicks and fed with oil, 
we are probably to understand torch- 
es made of pitchy or resinous billets 
of wood, the flame of which was 



outside of the camp, it shall be 
that as I do, so shall ye do. 

IS When I blow with a trum- 
pet, I and all that are with me, 
then blow ye the trumpets also 
on every side of all the camp, 
and say, Tlie sword of the Lord, 
and of Gideon. 

19 H So Gideon and the hun- 
dred men that were with him, 
came unto the outside of the 

stronger and not so liable to be ex- 
tinguished by the wind. 

17. Look on me. Heb. IfcOD ^fcfc 
mimmenu tint, see from mej i. e. see 
from me, from my example, what to 
do yourselves, and when to do it. It 
is probable that he now unfolded to 
them minutely every step of the stra- 
tagem, so that they could all act in 
concert when the signal was given, 
as otherwise the strangeness of the 
scheme, the darkness of the night, 
and the distance of the men from 
each other, would have been apt to 
render the whole abortive. In these 
words he is merely agreeing upon the 
signal. 

18. The sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon. Heb. ftiHaVl mTV»5 laiho- 
xah ukgidon, for the Lord and for 
Gideon. The original for ' sword' 
(j"in hereb), is not found in this 
verse, though it is necessarily im- 
plied, and occurs in the parallel pas- 
sage v. 20. It is inserted, however, 
in this place in the Chald., Syr., and 
Arab. ; and in eight of Kennicott's 
and De Rossi's manuscripts ; and is 
probably a genuine reading. This 
war-cry w r as taken from the inter- 
pretation of the dream, to which 
Gideon, with his usual modesty and 
in recognition of his dependence on 
divine succor, prefixed the name of 



104 



JUDGES, 



[B. C. 1249, 



camp in the beginning of the 
middle watch ; and they had 
but newly set the watch : and 
they blew the trumpets, and 
brake the pitchers -that were in 
their hands. 

20 And the three companies 
blew the trumpets, and brake 
the pitchers, and held the lamps 
in their left hands, and the trum- 
pets in their right hands, to blow 

the Lord — ' The sword of the Lord 
and of Gideon. 5 

19. In the beginning of the middle 
watch. A little after midnight ; for 
the Hebrews divided the night into 
three watches. At this time they 
would naturally be sunk in their 
profoundest slumbers, and of course 
be thrown into the utmost confusion 
on being suddenly awakened. 

20. The three companies blew the 
trumpets, and brake the pitchers, &c. 
Every man probably dashing his 
pitcher against that of his comrade 
who stood next him. The effect of 
this, with the intermingled sound of 
the trumpets and the shouts of the 
assailants reverberating on every 
side of the camp, together with the 
sudden glare of three hundred torch- 
es blazing on the scarcely opened eyes 
of the Midianites, must indeed have 
been astounding. As the enemy could 
not imagine that every Israelite had 
a trumpet and a light, the noise of so 
many trumpets, the blaze of so many 
lights, with the crash of the broken 
pitchers from different quarters, mast 
have conveyed to their minds the 
most exaggerated ideas of the num- 
bers by which they were beset. Gid- 
eon's army would have been great 
indeed, if, as the Midianites must 
have supposed j the number of the 



withal : and they cried, The 
sword of the Lord, and of 
Gideon. 

21 And they w stood every man 
in his place round about the 
camp ; ' and all the host ran, and 
cried, and fled, 

22 And the three hundred 
k blew the trumpets, and 'the 

h Ex, 14. 13, M. 2 Chron. 20. 17. i 2 Kings 
7. 7. k Josh. 6 4, 16, 20, See 2 Cor. 4. X 
l Ps. S3. 9. Isai. 9. 4. 



fighting men had been in proportion 
to that of the trumpeters. It was 
mainly in consequence of this erro- 
neous impression that the stratagem 
succeeded as it did. 

21. Stood every man in his placz* 
Thms the host of Midian was dis- 
comfited without the Israelites strik- 
ing a blow. They stood unmoved 
in their places, blowing their trum- 
pets and holding their torches, as if 
to encourage and give light to count- 
less numbers of fighting men behind, 
while in fact they afforded light to 
the Midianites to slay each other, 
though not enough to enable them to 

distinguish friend from fo«. MAU 

the hast ran, &e. That is, ran about 
the camp, hither and thither, in wild 
confusion, pursuing and pursued by 
their own men. The 'running-' was 
thus distinguished from the ' fleeing/ 
which was nothing else than the at- 
tempt to escape from the place of their 
encampment. The panic was no 
doubt greatly increased by the alarm 
and fright of their numerous camels. 

22. Med to Bcthshittah, &c. The 
names of these places occur not else- 
where in the Scriptures, except that 
of Abel-Meholah, which was in the 
half-tribe of Manasseh on this side 
Jordan. As the Midianites woukl 
naturally strike .owards the Jordan 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



105 



Lord set m every man's sword 
against his fellow, even through- 
out all the host : and the host 
fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, 
and to the horder of Abel-meho- 
lah, unto Tabbath. 

23 And the men of Israel ga- 
thered themselves together out 
of >'aphtali, and out of Asher, 
and out of all Manasseh, and 
pursued after the Midianites. 

24 TT And Gideon sent messen- 
gers throughout all n mount 

m 1 Sam. 14. 20. 2 Chron. 20. 23. o ch- 
3.27. 

to cross over into their own country. 
the other places here mentioned were 
doubtless in that direction from the 
plain of Jezreel. 

23. The men of Israel gathered 
themselves together out of Naphtali, 
&c. Including probably numbers of 
the two and twenty thousand who had 
previously withdrawn themselves*, or 
been dismissed by Gideon as lacking 
the requisite degree of hardihood and 
courage for the impending conflict. 
Now, however, when bolder spirits 
had made the onset and put the ene- 
my to flight, they are ready to join in 
the pursuit. But though their timidi- 
ty in the former instance was not to 
their credit, we do not know that 
their neutrality on this occasion 
would have been guiltless. It was 
probably their duty to come forward 
to the aid of their brethren and help 
them to a complete victory. 

21. Take before t/tem, the v:aters. 
Take possession of the fords of what- 
ever streams may lie in their route, 
but more especially of the fords of 
the Jordan, to prevent their escaping 
into their own country. The ' wa- 
ters' and the ' Jordan' are expressly 



Ephraim, saying, Come down 
against the Midianites, and take 
before them the waters unto 
Beth-barah and Jordan. Then 
all the men of Ephraim gathered 
themselves together, and ° took 
the waters unto p Beth-barah 
and Jordan. 
25 And they took q two princes 
of the Midianites, Oreb and 
Zeeb ; and they slew Oreb upon 
r the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they 
slew at the wine-press of Zeeb, 

o ch. 3. 28. p John 1. 28. q ch. 8. 3. Ps. 
83. 11. r isai. 10. 26. 

distinguished, nor can they properly 
be considered the same, as is done 
by many commentators. The copu- 
lative ' and,' may be regarded here, 
as often elsewhere in the Scriptures, 
as a particle of distinction ; — ' occupy 
all the fords that lie in the way till 
they come to Beth-barah, but above 
all those of the Jordan ;' or with 
Ro^enmuller, we may render, ' Unto 
Beth-barah, even Jordan.' The same 
precaution was take* before in the 
case of the Moabites, ch. 3. 28, and 
was the usual practice when the ene- 
my belonged to the country east of 
the river. The Beth-barah here 
spoken of is probably the same with 
that mentioned John 1. 28. where the 
Hebrews forded Jordan under the di- 
rection of Joshua. 

25. Slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, 
&c. These two Midianitish leaders 
had taken shelter, one in the cavern 
of a rock, the other in the vat of a 
wine-press; both of which places 
were afterwards, from this circum- 
stance, called by their names ; of 
which Oreb signifies a raven, and 
Zeeb, a wolf. Among ancient nations, 
generals and princes often took the 



106 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



and pursued Midian, and brought 
the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to 
Gideon on the "other side Jordan. 



eh. 8. 4. 



names of birds and beasts. Thus, 
among the Romans, we find Grac- 
chus, a jackdaw, Corvinus, a crow, 

Aquilinus, an eagle,- &e.*= IF And 

pursued Midian. Rather, Heb.-ltDTIi 
yHfa ^ yirdephu el Midyan, pur- 
sued unto Midian, i. e. to the country 
of Midian, to their own borders on 
the other side of the Jordan. And if 
they crossed the river in the pursuit, 
why should they not have followed 
them to their own territories, which 

lay near to the Jordan 1 ^Brought 

the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon. 
It was anciently, and is still an al- 
most universal custom with eastern 
nations to take off the heads of op- 
posing - chiefs and bring them to the 
victorious general. It is a sort of 
trophy, and has been regarded as 
such, at one time or other, in nearly 
all nations. David cut off the head 
of Goliath, probably intending to 
bring it to Saul ; and the head of 
Saul himself was cut off hy the Phi- 
listines, and sent by them to thei? own 
country. At present the heads of 
conquered chiefs and commanders 
are transmitted to Constantinople 
from the most distant parts of the 
Turkish empire, to be laid at the 
feet of the Sultan, and then to deco- 
rate his palace gates. It is, however, 
to be presumed that the sentiments 
of a more refined civilisation, and 
the silently meliorating influences of 
Christianity will ere long banish all 
traces of such atrocious barbarity 
from the earth. From the foregoing 
interesting narrative respecting Gid- 
eon and his wonderful deliverance, 



A : 



CHAPTER VIII. 
ND a the men of Ephraim 
said unto him, Why hast 

See ch. 12. 1. 2 Sam. 19. 41. 



we may karn, (1) To undertake 
nothing in our own strength. (2) To 
draw back from nothing to which 
we are called. (3) To doubt of no- 
thing wherein God promises his aid.- 
(4) To take the glory of nothing 
which God does by us. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

I. And the men of Ephraim. Heb\ 
tT'^Sj* EP& ish Ephrayim, and the 
moMj or manhood, of Ephraim ; i. e* 
the leading men, the elders. See 
on Josh. 9. 6. This complaint was 
probably uttered when the heads 
of the two slain princes of Mi* 
dian were brought to Gideon, but 
whether this was before or after his 
crossing the Jordan, it is not easy 
to say. It is not determined by the 
expression, ' on the other side Jor- 
dan,' ch. 7. 25, for this phrase in the 
original (yT"Pi ""D^fa) signifies 
either this side or that, as the case 
may be. The probability,- however, 
we think is, that our translation has 
correctly rendered it ' from the other 
side, 5 and that Gideon had now passed 
the Jordan, but that the incident here 
related eomes in somewhat by anti- 
cipation, in order that what relates to 
the Ephraimites might be finished 
without hereafter interrupting the 
thread of the narrative. The inter-- 
view here mentioned, we suppose to 
have taken place after Gideon's re- 
turn from the pursuit of the Midian- 
iles, v. 4. — — 1T "Why hast thou served 
us thus. Heb. t\^ HTH WO fitt 
13i mah haddabar hazzeh asilha 
ffimu, what thing is this them hasi . 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



107 



thou served us thus, that thou 
calledst us not when thou went- 
est to fight with the Midianites ? 
and they did chide with him 
sharply. 
2 And he said unto them, 



done unto us? — — K And thou, call- 
edst us ?iot } &c. Rather, ' that thou 
calledst us not. 5 Although the vic- 
tory of Gideon, by freeing them 
from the tyranny of Midian, had been 
of equal advantage to them with the 
rest of their brethren, yet from not 
having been sharers in the glory of 
it, this tribe was ill-affected in view 
of the result. The pique which is 
here expressed seems to have origi- 
nated in a prior state of jealous feel- 
ing, existing on the part of Ephraim, 
towards Manasseh. Ephraim was 
brother to Manasseh, the tribe from 
which Gideon sprung, and, probably, 
priding themselves on the pre-emi- 
nence assigned them in the blessing 
of Jacob and Moses, on the descent 
of Joshua from their tribe, on their 
having the tabernacle fixed in their 
inheritance, and on their superior 
numbers, they seem to have indulged 
a very bitter spirit of rivalry towards 
their brethren. Hence the allusion 
elsewhere, Is. 9. 21, to the envy and 
mutual disaffection of these two tribes. 
In the present instance, their com- 
plaint was evidently unjust, as Gid- 
eon had acted throughout under di- 
vine direction, instead of ordering 
the services of the tribes, at his own 
discretion. Moreover, if so disposed, 
•hey had the amplest opportunities to 
signalize themselves in behalf of the 
common interest. They knew their 
country was suffering under foreign 
oppression, and that forces were rais- 
ing with a view to resist it and shake 



What have I done now in com- 
parison of you ? Is not the 
gleaning of the grapes of Ephra- 
im better than the vintage of 
Abi-ezer ? 



off the yoke. What then prevented 
them from nobly coming forward and 
volunteering in the enterprise % But 
such is the perverse temperament of 
some men, that under the influence 
of a morbid and envious spirit, they 
construe every exaltation of their 
neighbor, as an injury done to them- 
selves ; and nothing is more common 
than for those who will not attempt 
or venture anything in the cause of 
God, to be ready to censure those 
who show more zeal and enterprise 
than themselves. How often, too, 
when the danger is past, does the 
coward vaunt his courage ! The con- 
duct of the Ephraimites on this, and 
another occasion very similar, which 
resulted in the slaughter of two and 
forty thousand of their number, ch. 
12. 1-7, evinces that they were a 
people of rash, hasty, and impetuous 
spirit, and the incidents mentioned 
afford a s:riking illustration of two 
emphatic declarations of Scripture. 
(1) That. ' only by pride cometh con- 
tention ;' and, (2) That, 'for every 
right work a man is envied of his 

neighbor.' IT Did chide with him 

sharply. Heb. Hpim behazek&h, 
strongly, with vehemence. 

2. Is not the gleaning of the grapes 
of Ephraim belter ', &c. A metaphor- 
ical and proverbial mode of com- 
mending the smallest action of one 
as superior to the greatest of another ; 
or of saying that the Ephraimites, 
by intercepting the enemy at the 
fords of Jordan, and slaying the two 



108 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 12X3. 



princes of the Midianites, had achiev- 
ed more than Gideon and his army. 
The answer was admirably adapted 
to soothe the exasperated spirits of 
his accusers ; it was the soft answer 
which turneth away wrath. How- 
ever much we may be disposed to 
admire great military exploits, and 
to account men honorable, in propor- 
tion to the victories they have gained ; 
there is a victory over ourselves that 
far more dignifies a man, than the 
most extended conquests over others ; 
and we cannot but regard Gideon's 
defeat of the Midianitish host, with 
so small a force, as less worth}' - of 
admiration, than the self-possession 
he exercised towards the offended 
and reviling Ephraimites, ' He that 
is slow to anger is better than the 
mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit, 
than he that taketh a city.' Thus 
does Solomon weigh, in an even bal- 
ance, the different characters above 
alluded to. Not a word of recrimi- 
nation dropped from the mouth of 
Gideon. Though he might, perhaps, 
have justly said, that when the 
Ephraimites knew his determination 
to oppose the Midianites, they had 
never offered their services, or come 
forward to assist him ; but when the 
danger was over, they were ready to 
impute evils to him for omissions, 
which were chargeable only on them- 
selves. But, instead of loading his 
adversaries with blame, or glancing 
at anything that might either betray 
irritation in his mind, or strengthen 
it in theirs, he is glad to search out 
causes of commendation. He mag- 
nifies their performance, and gives 
them the credit of doing more in the 
pursuit, in their gleanings, than he 
in the battle, the vintage of Abi-ezer. 
Instead, moreover, of saying, • If God 



has been pleased to honor me, why 
should that be an offence to you V he 
wisely forbore to take to himself the 
credit that he justly might, thus hid- 
ing from them the light that pained 
their eyes, and casting a veil over the 
actions that had provoked their jeal- 
ousy. A striking instance this, oi 
the ' charity which vaunteth not it- 
self, which seeketh not her own.' 
His conduct naturally leads to the 
remark, (1) That the only way to 
appease unreasonable wrath is by 
curbing, in the spirit of meekness 
and forbearance, the outbreak of a 
kindred passion in ourselves. Yield- 
ing pacifieth great offences. (2) 
True humility not only sheds a dou- 
ble lustre over all our gifts, graces, 
and attainments, but is a disposition 
tending no less to the preservation of 
our own happiness, than to the con- 
ciliation of those who are offended 
at us ; for if once willing to foregc 
the honor to which we are entitled 
it will appear a small thing to us to 
be censured without a cause ; seeing 
that such censures only reduce us to 
the place which we were previously, 
in our own minds, disposed to occu- 
py. And it will almost invariably be 
found true, that as men are ready to 
hate those who arrogate honor to 
themselves, so will they be more easi- 
ly reconciled to those who are hum- 
ble and unassuming. HBctter than 

the vintage of Abi-ezer. That is, of 
the Manassites, from whom the 
family of Abi-ezer. to which Gideon 
belonged, descended. Chald. ' Are 
not the feeble of the house of Ephra- 
im better than the strong of the 
house of Abi-ezer V 

3. Their anger was abated. Heb. 
tiTH nfito^i raphethah ruham, their 
spirit relaxed, remitted itself from 



B. C. 1249.J 



CHAPTER VIIJ. 



109 



3 b God hath delivered into 
your hands the princes of Midi- 
an, Oreb and Zeeb : and what 
was I able to do in comparison 
of you ? Then their ° anger was 
abated toward him, when he 
had said that. 

4 IT And Gideon came to Jor- 
dan, and passed over, he, and 
the three hundred men that 
were with him, faint, yet pursu- 
ing them. 

b ch. 7. 21, 25. Phil. 2. 3. cProv. 15. 1. 

him. How powerful to blunt the 
edge of oiher men's displeasure is a 
conduct conformed to the Scriptural 
precept, ' Let nothing be done through 
strife and vain glory, but in lowliness 
of mind let each esteem others better 
than themselves.' 

4. Gideon came to Jordan, and 
passed over. Or, Heb. &12* 1 yabo, 
had passed ever. See on v. 1. What 
is related in the preceding verses 

seems to be by anticipation. 

IT Faint, yet pursuing. Much fa- 
tigued with what they had already 
accomplished, yet eager to follow 
up the blow, and determined not to 
give over till the victory was per- 
fectly achieved. This is often the 
Christian's case in the prosecution of 
his spiritual warfare. His 'mortal 
spirit tires and faints,' yet he strug- 
gles on with the little strength that still 
remains to him, leaning upon omnipo- 
tence, and resolved to conquer or die. 

5. He said unto the men of Succoth. 
From this we learn the precise spot 
where Gideon crossed the Jordan. 
It was at the point where the Jordan 
emerges from the Lake of Genesa- 
ret, for near to this, on the east side 
of the river, in the tribe of Gad, lay 

10 



5 And he said unto the men 
of d Succoth, Give, I pray you, 
loaves of bread unto the people 
that follow me : for they be 
faint, and I am pursuing after 
Zebah and Zalmunna, kings cf 
Midi an. 

6 1T And the princes of Suc- 
coth said, e Are the hands of 
Zebah and Zalmunna now in 
thine hand, that f we should give 
bread unto thine army ? 

d Gen. 33. 17. Ps. 60. 6. e See 1 Kings 
20.11. i" See 1 Sam. 25. 11. 



the city of Succoth. i. e. of tents, or 
booths, so called from Jacob's having 
here pitched his tents on his removal 
from Mesopotamia, Gen. 43. 17. As 
Gideon was now engaged in the 
common cause of Israel, he had a 
right to expect succor from the peo- 
ple at large. This claim he hints at 

in the close of the verse. MThs 

people that folloio me. Heb. T.E& 
"^"D asher beraglai, that are at my 
feet. See on ch. 4. 10. 

6. And the princes of Succoth said, 
&c. The verb in the singular, the 
noun in the plural, intimating that 
some one spoke in the name of the 
rest ; or, perhaps, rather that they 
were all unanimous in this reply, as 
if they had been but one man speak- 
ing with one mouth. Comp. Num. 
32. 25. It may seem scarcely credi- 
ble that the inhabitants of Succoth 
and Peniel should refuse bread to 
their famished brethren ; but having 
been seven years under the domina- 
tion of the Midianites, to whom they 
lived contiguous, they doubtless not 
only dreaded their vengeance, but 
deemed it highly improbable that 

Gideon should succeed. IT Are the 

hands of Zeiah and Zalmwn/na now in 



no 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



7 And Gideon said, Therefore 
when the Lord hath delivered 
Zebah and Zalmunna into mine 
hand, g then I will tear your 
ilesh with the thorns of the wil- 
derness and with briers. 

gver. 16. 

thine hand ? Are their hands bound 
behind them as captive prisoners, 
indicating that their persons are en- 
tirely in thy power 1 ? A bitter and 
malignant taunt, as if he were cele- 
brating a triumph before he had ob- 
tained the victory. { To have ques- 
tioned so sudden a victory, had been 
pardonable ; but to deny it scornfully 
was unworthy of Israelites. Carnal 
men think that impossible to others, 
which they themselves cannot do ; 
hence their censures, hence their 
exclamations.' Bp. Hall. How often, 
too, do those from whom we might 
reasonably look for the most cordial 
assistance, seek, like the men of Suc- 
coth, to weaken our hands and dis- 
courage our hearts % 

7. / will tear your flesh with the 
thorns, &c. Or, Heb. ^tWI dashti, 
will thresh. The threat probably re- 
lates to a cruel method of torture 
used in those times, for putting cap* 
tives to death, by laying briers and 
thorns on their naked bodies, and 
then drawing over them some heavy 
implements of husbandry. The opi- 
nion of Drusius, that persons put to 
death in this manner were laid naked 
on thorns and briers, and then both 
crushed and trampled together, seems 
to be confirmed by the force of the 
preposition in the original (tl!S), 
which, like the Latin cum, properly 
imports ' together with,' una cum, 
rather than ' by.' Chald. ' I will 
mangle your flesh upon the thorns, 



8 IT And he went up thence 
b to Penuel, and spake unto 
them likewise : and the men of 
Penuel answered him as the 
men of Succoth had answered 
him. 

h Gen. 32. 30. 1 Kings 12. 25. 



and upon the briers.' ' Thus did 
Gideon threaten the inhabitants of 
Succoth ; and thus do masters, fathers, 
and schoolmasters, swear they will 
punish those who have offended 
them. To see the force of the figure, 
it must be kept in mind that the peo- 
ple (in the East) are almost in a 
state of nudity. To tear a man's 
naked body, therefore, with briers 
and thorns, would be no small pun- 
ishment. See poor travellers, some- 
times, who, in consequence of a wild 
beast, or some other cause, have to 
rush into the thicket; before they 
can get out again, in consequence of 
thorns, they are literally covered 
with blood. There have been in- 
stances where a master, in his anger, 
has taken a jagged edge of the pal- 
mirah branch, to tear the naked body 
of his slave, and nothing can be more 
common than to threaten it shall be 
done to those who have given offence. 
People also often menace each other 
with the repetition of the old punish* 
ment of tying the naked body in a 
bundle of thorns, and rolling it on 
the ground.' Roberts. See farther 
respecting this punishment on v. 16. 
8. Went up thence to Penuel. A 
city also in the tribe of Gad near the 
brook Jabbok, and not far from Suc- 
coth ; so called by Jacob for the rea- 
son mentioned Gen. 32. 30, 31. - 

IT Spake unto them likeivise. That is, 
he made the same request to them 
that he had to t'he men of Succoth. 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Ill 



9 And he spake also unto the 
men of Penuel, saying, When I 
'come again in peace, k I will 
break down this tower. 

10 IF Now Zebah and Zal- 
munna were in Karkor, and 
their hosts with them, about 
fifteen thousand men, all that 
were left of ' all the hosts of the 
children of the east : for there 
fell an hundred and twenty 
thousand men that drew sword. 

11 IT And Gideon went up by 
the way of them that dwelt in 

i 1 Kings 22. 27. k ver. 17. 1 ch. 7. 12. 

9. lVhe7i I Gome again in peace. 
That is, according to the Heb. idiom, 
when I return in soundness, in safe- 
ty, in triumph; as his strong faith 
assured him would be the case. He 
defers the intended vengeance for the 
present, for fear of losing time in the 
pursuit, and perhaps from a secret 
hope that they might upon farther 
reflection repent of their refusal, and 
atone for it by sending succors and 

supplies after him. IT Ivrill break 

down this toicer. They had probably, 
on giving their answer, pointed in- 
sultingly to a tower in which their 
chief defence lay, and intimated to 
him that he might do his worst, for 
they could amply defend themselves. 

10. In Karkor. A town near the 
east frontiers of Gad, and at no great 
distance from the source of the small 
river Jabbok. It is no where else 
mentioned. 

11. By the vjay of them that dwelt in 
tents. Probably he took an unwonted 
and unsuspected route along the ter- 
ritories of the Scenite or tent-dwell- 
ing Arabs. Chald. ' Gideon went 
up by the way of the camps of the 
Arabians, who dwell in tents in the 



tents on the east of m Nobah and 
Jogbehah, and smote the host : 
for the host was n secure. 

12 And when Zebah and Zal- 
munna fled, he pursued after 
them, and ° took the two kings 
of Midian, Zebah and Zalmun- 
na, and discomfited all the host. 

13 IT And Gideon the son of 
Joash returned from battle be- 
fore the sun was up, 

14 And caught a young man 
of the men of Succoth, and in- 

m Num. 32. 35. 42. n c h. 18. 27. 1 Thess. 
5. 3. o Ps. S3. 11. 



desert.' Schmid, however, thinks 
the allusion is to a portion of the 
trans-jordanic Israelites w r ho follow- 
ed the nomade mode of life in these 
regions, as the Arabs in the neigh- 
borhood of Midian, being among the 
1 sons of the East,' may be supposed 
more likely to have been confede- 
rate with them in the expedition, 
and not disposed to let Gideon pass 

peaceably through their borders. » 

TT The host was secure. Heb. ronton 
T^inn hammahaneh heherid, the host 
was become security ; not only secure, 
but in their own estimation, security 
itself. 

13. Before the sun vms up. More 
correctly rendered according to the 
Heb. D^inn rfryfc^fc milmaaleh he* 
hares, from the ascent or height of 
Heres. This rendering is confirmed 
by the Septuagint, the Syriac, and 
the Arabic. The original 'Heres' 
is never used for £ sun ' except in the 
poetical style, Job 9. 7, while express 
mention is made of mount Heres, 
ch. 1. 35. The writer's drift is pro- 
bably to intimate that Gideon return- 
ed by a different route from that by 
which he went. 



112 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



quired of him : and he described 
unto him the princes of Suc- 
coth, and the elders thereof, even 
threescore and seventeen men. 

15 And he came unto the men 
of Succoth, and said, Behold 
Zebah and Zalmunna, with 
whom ye did p upbraid me, say- 

p ver. 6. 

44. He described unto him. Heb. 
T^& DfiS"H va-yiktob elauv, he wrote 
for him. He gave the names in 
writing of seventy persons, the chief 
men of Succoth, who were most con- 
cerned in refusing him ind his men 

the refreshment he requested. 

Ti And the elders thereof. Even the 
elders thereof. The princes and the 
elders were the same persons. 

16. He took — thorns and briers of 
the wilderness, and with them he 
taught the men of Succoth. Heb. 
5T 1 yodda, made to know. He made 
them sensible of their crime and 
folly; in other words, he punished 
them by putting them to death by 
this mode of torture. This is to be 
inferred from the fact that their 
offence was the same as that of the 
men of Penuel, whom he certainly 
did put to death. The probability is 
that their naked bodies were laid in 
the midst of a heap of thorns, briers, 
and prickly brush, and then thresh- 
ing sledges or other heavy imple- 
ments of husbandry were drawn over 
them. In northern nations, where 
the body is completely covered, the 
idea of such punishments with thorns 
on the naked person, seems a far- 
fetched device ; but in the East, where 
the clothing leaves much more of the 
person exposed, and where, in con- 
sequence, men are continually lace- 
rating their skins in passing through 



ing, Are the hands of Zebah 
and Zalmunna now in thine 
hand, that we should give bread 
unto thy men that are weary ? 

16 q And he took the elders 
of the city, and thorns of the 
wilderness, and briers, and with 
them he taught the men of Suc- 
coth. 

q ver. 7. 



thickets, &c, the idea of such lace- 
ration is always kept present either 
by the actual experience of suffering, 
or by the constant observation of it. 
Hence tearing the flesh with thorns 
comes to be a familiar idea of penal I 
infliction, and, as such, is popularly 
mentioned as among the punish- 
ments which evil-doers deserve, or 
will obtain, not only in this life, but 
in the life to come. — The punish- 
ment, it must be acknowledged, was 
severe, but the provocation was 
great. Considered as an act of in- 
gratitude and inhumanity only, it 
was exceedingly sinful ; for what 
could be more base than to refuse a 
meal to those who had, at the peril of 
their own lives, delivered the 'whole 
nation from the yoke of Midian ; 
and were now, though only three 
hundred in number, following the 
remaining fugitives, fifty times as 
numerous as themselves, in order to 
extirpate them entirely 1 Had they 
been mere strangers and travellers in 
distress, their request would have 
been reasonable, and a refusal bar- 
barous ; but considering that they 
were their own countrymen, and 
fighting their country's battles under 
the special calling and direction of 
Heaven, it was treason of the black- 
est dye ; it was the very way to pre- 
vent the execution of the divine pur- 
poses, and if God bad not miracu- 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



113 



17 r And he beat down the 
tower of s Penuel, and slew the 
men of the city. 

IS I 1 " Then said he unto Zebah 
and Zalmunna, What manner of 

r vor. 9. e 1 Kings 12. 25. 

lously renewed the strength of the 
visitors, this refusal of food to them 
would hare done more to vanquish 
them than all the hosts of Midian 
had been able to effect. But they 
added insult to injury; they endeav- 
ored to weaken his hands by deriding 
the vanity of his attempts ; they an- 
swered him in a tone of bantering 
and scorn, and thus poured contempt 
upon a cause which, being of God, 
was thereby rendered sacred. So 
that taking all things into view, it 
cannot be questioned that Gideon did 
right in making a fearful example 
of such wicked traitors. The whole 
of this remarkable transaction tends 
to inspire us with confidence in God, 
and to encourage our exertions in 
his cause ; but there are two lessons 
especially which we shall do well to 
learn from it; (1) To prosecute our 
spiritual warfare under all discour- 
agements ourselves ; and (2) To be 
careful to put no discouragements in 
the way of others. God is indignant 
with those who would weaken the 
hands of his people. His command 
is, ' Strengthen ye the weak hands, 
and confirm the feeble knees ; say 
unto them that are of a fearful heart, 
Be strong, fear not; your God will 
come and help you.' 

18. What maniier of 'men were they 
ichom ye slew at Tabor ? This ques- 
tion relates to an occurrence not pre- 
viously mentioned, but the inference 
fe, that these uterine or full brothers 
of Gideon, during the seven years' 
10* 



men were they whom ye slew at 
1 Tabor ? And they answered, 
As thou art, so were they ; each 
one resembled the children of a 
kino-. 



tch. 4. 6. Ps. 89.12. 



oppression of Midian, when the 
children of Israel had been compel- 
j led to make themselves dens in the 
! mountains, ch. G. 2, had taken shel- 
i ter in mount Tabor, where they were 
i found by these two kings and barba- 
; rously massacred in cold blood. It 
may be that the event had occurred 
but a short time before during Gid- 
eon's absence, and that he had mere- 
ly heard a confused account of it ; 
still it is not clear, simply from the 
interrogative form of the address, that 
Gideon was uncertain whether his 
brethren had perished by the hand of 
these two princes. He may have put 
the question, in order to draw the 
acknowledgment of the deed from 
their own lips, and thus make his 
justice in their punishment more con- 
spicuous. It should not be forgotten 
that the day is coming when every 
secret thing will be brought to light, 
and such conviction flash on the of- 
fenders that they will no longer be 

able to conceal their guilt. MEack 

one resembled ihe children of a king. 
This is an Orientalism still in use. 
Of a person who is beautiful or of a 
fair complexion, who is courageous, 
and stately in his gait, it is said in 
the. East, ' He is like the son of a 
king;' ' He is the son of a god.' In 
the measures of comparison, the king 
and that which belongs to him, forms 
the superlative degree, and to say 
that a person or thing is kingly, or 
like that which belongs to a king, is 
to say that it is the most excellent of 



114 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249. 



19 And he said, They were 
my brethren, even the sons of 
my mother : as the Lord liveth, 
if ye had saved them alive, I 
would not slay you. 

20 And he said unto Jether 
his first-born, Up, and slay them. 

its kind. From the reports of trav- 
ellers it would appear, that in some 
way or other, the royal families in 
the East are usually remarkable for 
the beauty and majesty of their per- 
sons ; so that the comparison is some- 
thing more than a mere compliment- 
ary phrase. 

19. My brethren, even the sons of 
my mother. In countries where po- 
lygamy is tolerated, the ties of broth- 
erhood are, as might be expected, 
much more close and tender between 
those who are born of the same mo- 
ther, than those who are connected 
only as the children of the same fa- 
ther. Of this we have had and shall 
have ample evidence in the sacred 
history. This explains why ' son of 
my mother' was among the Hebrews, 
as now among the Arabs and others, 
a far more endearing expression than 
that of ' my brother,' in the general 

sense. TT / would not slay you. 

Which he was not bound to do, in- 
asmuch as they were not Canaanites. 

20. Up, and slay them. The He- 
brews had no executioner. When a 
man was guilty of homicide, the exe- 
cution devolved on the next of kin, 
by right of blood-revenge ; in other 
cases criminals were stoned by the 
people, the witnesses setting the ex- 
ample : and when a king or chief 
ordered a person to be put to death, 
the office was performed by the per- 
son to whom the command was given. 
And this was generally a person 



But the youth drew not his 
sword : for he feared, because 
he was yet a youth. 

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna 
said, Rise thou, and fall upon 
us : for as the man ?s, so is his 
strength. And Gideon arose. 



whose consideration in life bore some 
proportion to that of the person to be 
slain. In fact, the office even of a 
regular executioner, is not by any 
means dishonorable in the East. The 
post of chief executioner is, in most 
Oriental courts, one of honor and dis- 
tinction. When thus there was no 
regular executioner, it came to be 
considered a sort of honor to put a 
distinguished person to death ; and, 
on the other hand, the death itself 
was honorable in proportion to the 
rank of the personage by whom the 
blow was inflicted. It was the great- 
est dishonor to perish by the hands 
of a woman or a slave. We see this, 
feeling distinctly in the present nar- 
rative, where the two princes much 
prefer to die by Gideon's own hand 
than by that of a youth who had ob- 
tained no personal distinction. As 
to the hero's commissioning his son 
to perform this office, it was perhaps 
partly to honor him with the distinc- 
tion of having slain two chief ene- 
mies of Israel ; as well as because 
the rules of blood-revenge made it 
necessary that the execution of those 
who had slain his own brethren, 
should either be performed by him- 
self, or by a member of his own 
family. 

21. As the man is, so is his strength. 
His strength is proportionate to ln'^ 
age, and therefore they would sooner 
be dispatched, and with less pain, by 
Gideon than by a youth. MTook 



B. C. 1249.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



115 



and ■ slew Zebah and Zalmunna, 
and took away the ornaments 
that were on their camels' necks. 

22 1T Then the men of Israel 
said unto Gideon, Rule thou 
over us, both thou, and thy son, 
and thy son's son also : for thou 
hast delivered us from the hand 
of Midian. 

23 And Gideon said unto them, 

u Ps. 83. 11. 



av:ay the ornaments that were on their 
camels' necks. Heb. d^aiTTOn hassa- 
haioaim, little moons, crescents. Pro- 
bably shining plates of gold or other 
metal in the form of crescents sus- 
pended from the camels' necks, and 
hanging down upon their breasts in 
front. The heads, necks, bodies, and 
legs, of camels, horses, and elephants, 
are still highly ornamented in East- 
ern countries. 

22. Rule thou over us, &c. That 
is, they would have him to be king ; 
and here it is that the Hebrews first 
betray a desire to establish a heredi- 
tary kingdom, forgetting the pecu- 
liar character of their government, 
and the high distinction which they 
enjoyed in having Jehovah for their 
king. But the pious hero himself 
was mindful of it, replying in the 
true spirit of the theocracy, ' I will 
not rule over you, neither shall my 
son rule over you, the Lord shall 
rule over you.' Gideon, in modestly 
and piously declining the proposal, 
acted with a moderation and wisdom 
worthy of himself. He would do 
nothing that seemed to trench upon 
the divine prerogative. Though he 
would serve them as a judge, he 
would not rule over them as a king. 
His decision showed how much he 



I will not rule over you, neither 
shall my son rule over you: 
x the Lord shall rule over you. 
24 IF And Gideon said unto 
them, I would desire a request 
of you, that you would give me 
every man the ear-rings of his 
prey. (For they had golden 
ear-rings, y because they were 
Ishmaelites.) 

x 1 Sam. 8. 7, and 10. 19, and 12. 12. y Gen. 
25. 13, and 37. 25, 28. 



had in subjection the motives which 
usually prevail with men. The am- 
bition of exalting a family is a great 
snare ; but a true patriot, who aims 
not at his own, but the public good, 
will decline rather than seek those 
honors, and rest satisfied with de- 
serving well of his country, without 
aspiring to rule it. All his sons, 
however, were not of his mind, and 
did not forget this offer, as will ap- 
pear in the sequel. 

24. That ye would give 'me every 
man the ear-rings of his prey. Or, 
Heb. ifiw DTD 1D1» ish nezem she- 
lalo, every man an ear-ring of his 
prey. The word in the original is in 
the singular, and it seems more likely 
that Gideon would have requested a 
moderate contribution from each 
man, than that he should have de- 
manded all the jewels of this kind 
which fell to the share of his follow- 
ers, and which perhaps constituted 
the most valuable portion of their 
prey. The request of Gideon, .though 
doubtless well intended, was certain- 
ly unfortunate in its results, as the 
sequel clearly proves. On the true 
import of DTD here rendered ear-ring x 

sec on Gen 24. 22. If Because they 

were Ishmaelites. The Midianites 
were not properly Ishmaelites, being 



116 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1249 



25 And they answered, We 
will willingly give them. And 
they spread a garment, and did 
cast therein every man the ear- 
rings of his prey. 

26 And the weight of the gold- 
en ear-rings that he requested, 
was a thousand and seven hun- 

descended from another son of Abra- 
ham ; but from being much inter- 
mixed with them, from following the 
same mode of life, and possessing the 
same general manners, they might 
well be so called. Indeed the terms 
1 Ishmaelites,' and ' Midianites,' seem 
to have been used interchangeably 
from a very early period, Gen. 38. 
25. Probably all those eastern kin- 
dred tribes whose way of life was 
similar, and were much mixed with 
the Arabians, were called Ishmael- 
ites in a general sense. It is also 
probable that large numbers of real 
Ishmaelites acted with the Midian- 
ites on this occasion, and Boothroyd 
would restrict the words of the text 
to these: — 'Those slain, who were 
Ishmaelites, wore golden pendants.' 
In consequence of Mohammed's hav- 
ing prohibited rings of gold, the mod- 
ern Arabs do not exhibit such costly 
ornaments as the ancient Midianites. 
25. We will willingly give. Heb. 
*pl "pro nathen ni s ten, giving we 
will give. The same feelings which 
had just before prompted them to of- 
fer him a crown, undoubtedly dis- 
posed them now to comply with his 
request, with the utmost readiness. 
Though he asked but a single arti- 
cle from each, yet from the .total 
amount of the donation, it would 
seem that in giving many of them 
went beyond the letter of his request, 
and threw in a number. 



dred shekels of gold ; beside 
ornaments, and collars, and pur- 
ple raiment that was on the 
kings of Midian, and beside the 
chains that were about their 
camels' necks. 
27 And Gideon z made an ephod 

z ch. 17. 5. 



26. And the weight — was a thou- 
sand and seven hundred shekels of 
gold. Taking the shekel at half an 
ounce weight, the sum of the gold 
collected in ear-rings was seventy- 
three pounds four ounces ; and worth, 
as gold now rates, upwards of twelve 

thousand dollars. *fT Ornaments. 

The same word as that applied to 
the ' ornaments ' of the camels, v. 21, 
and probably denoting articles of the 
same form and material. IT Col- 
lars. Rather, as the original m^tM 
nettephoth, comes from C]t53 nataph, 
to drop, to distil by drops, ear-drops, 
or pendants of pearl, from their form. 

IT Purple. See on Ex. 35. 35. 

The present is the first indication of 
purple as a royal color. 

27. Gideon made an ephod thereof. 
An ephod was a vestment covering 
the shoulders and extending over 
the breast, somewhat like a coat with- 
out sleeves. There were two kinds 
of them ; one, a rich garment, pecu- 
liar to the high priest, made of blue, 
purple, scarlet, and twined linen, 
curiously wrought, and embroidered 
with gold. In this was set the breast- 
plate studded with precious stones, 
and containing the Urim and Thum- 
mim, by which the high priest con- 
sulted the will of Jehovah, Ex. 25. 7 ; 
28. 4. The other was made after the 
same model, but of inferior materials, 
being composed simply of fine linen, 
and worn not only by the priests, but 



B. C. 1249. 



CHAPTER VIII 



117 



thereof, and put it in his city, 
in Ophrah : and all Israel 
'went thither a whoring after 
it : which thing hecame c a snare 
unto Gideon, and to his house. 

a ch. 6. 24. b Ps. 106. 39. c Deut. 7. 16. 

by the Levites and others in divine 
ministrations, as we see from the case 
of Samuel, 1 Sam. 2. 18, and of Da- 
vid, 1 Sam. 17. 16, neither of whom 
belonged to the sacerdotal order. The 
ephod made by Gideon was undoubt- 
edly designed to be of the former 
k\nd, and was thus wrought with 
great splendor. His real motive in 
this transaction is not very easily de- 
termined. Some think the ephod 
was designed merely as a commemo- 
raiive trophy of Israel's deliverance; 
but, if so, it was a very strange one, 
having no conceivable relation to 
such an event. The more probable 
opinion undoubtedly is, that it was 
intended wholly for a religious use. 
Gideon had, at his first calling, been 
instructed to build an altar and offer 
sacrifice. This perhaps induced 
him to think himself authorized to 
officiate in the same way, occasion- 
ally, at his own house, and as he 
knew that an ephod was a usual ap- 
pendage to such an office, he might 
have had one formed and finished in 
sumptuous style for this purpose. If 
this be the right conjecture, the wor- 
ship performed was doubtless in 
honor of the true God, but it was 
still unauthorized and improper, how- 
ever he may have considered the 
first commission as constituting a 
good warrant for his continuing the 
service. Even in his life-time, it un- 
questionably had the effect of with- 
drawing the attention of the people, 
east of the Jordan, from the taberna- 



2S IT Thus was Midian sub- 
dued before the children of Is- 
rael, so that they lifted up their 
heads no more. d And the coun- 



d ch. 5. 31. 



cle at Shiloh, and so far tended to 
pave the way for that decline into 
positive idolatry, which took place 

after his death. IT All Israel went 

thither, &c. They made it a means 
of practising superstition and idola- 
try ; they resorted to this, instead of 
the true ephod, to inquire the will of 
God; thus gradually forsaking the 
place which Jehovah himself had 
ordained as the one seat of worship 
To such disastrous consequences 
may one false' step of a good man 
lead, who fails to weigh well the 
issues of his best meant conduct. 
The following suggestions naturally 
arise from the narrative. (1) In 
God's worship human inventions are 
to be most carefully avoided, and the 
inspired word strictly adhered to. 
(2) What may be indifferent or inno- 
cent to one man may, to a weaker 
brother, be a dangerous snare. (3) 
The beginning of sin is as the letting 
out of water. From small begin- 
nings arose all the present horrid 

idolatry of the church of Rome. 

If Became a snare unto Gideon and to 
his house. That is, became not only 
a source of evil personally to Gideon, 
enticing his affections from the pro- 
per object, and abating his zeal for 
the true worship of God in his old 
age, but proving the occasion of sin 
and ruin to his family, as appears 
from the ensuing chapter. 

28. They lifted up' their heads no 
more. Recovered not their former 
strength or spirit; were not in a 



118 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1209. 



try was in quietness forty years 
in the days of Gideon. 

29 IT And Jerubbaal the son 
of Joash went and dwelt in his 
own house. 

30 And Gideon had three- 
score and ten sons of his body 
begotten : for he had many 
wives. 

31 f And his concubine that 
was in Shechem, she also bare 
him a son, whose name he called 
Abimelech. 

32 TT And Gideon the son of 
Joash died K in a good old age, 
and was buried in the sepulchre 
of Joash his father, h in Ophrah 
of the Abi-ezrites. 

e ch. 9. 2, 5. f ch. 9. 1. - g Gen. 25. 8. 
Job 5. 26. h ver. 27. ch. 6. 24. 



condition again to invade or annoy 
the Israelites in their possessions. 

IT In quietness forty years in the 

days of Gideon. While Gideon lived. 
The forty years are perhaps to be 
dated from the defeat of the Midian- 
ites, .and the consequent complete 
recovery of the national liberty. 

30. Of his body begotten. Heb. 
^DT 1 5&21 1 " 1 yotzee yereko, coming out 
of his thigh. Intimating they were 
his own natural sons, sons by gene- 
ration, and not by adoption. 

31. His concubine that was in She- 
chem. A lawful, but secondary wife, 
whose children could not inherit. 

See on Gen. 16. 1-3. IT Whose 

name he called Abimelech. Heb. 
^fa^l* Ifcffl fitf WD^ yasem eth shemo 
Abimelek, whose name he set, put, ap- 
pointed, Abimelech. The name proper- 
ly signifies, ' father— king,' and was 
perhaps conferred out of complais- 
ance to his concubine, who may have 
desired it from ambitious motives. 



33 And it came to pass 'as 
soon as Gideon was dead, that 
the children of Israel turned 
again, and k went a whoring after 
Baalim, ' and made Baal-berith 
their god. 

34 And the children of Israel 
m remembered not the Lord 
their God, who had delivered 
them out of the hands of all their 
enemies on every side : 

35 n Neither showed they kind- 
ness to the house of Jerubbaal, 
namely , Gideon, according to all 
the goodness which he had 
showed unto Israel. 



i cli. 2. 19. k ch. 2. 17. 1 ch. 9. 4. 46. 
m Ps. 78. 11, 42, and 106. 13, 21. « ch. 9. 16, 
17, 18. Eccles. 9. 14, 15. 



The incident certainly proved of 
evil omen, whether Abimelech was 
prompted to the course he pursued 
by reflecting upon the import of his 
name or not. The influence of 
names, in the formation of charac- 
ter, is probably much greater tkan is 
usually imagined, and deserves the 
special attention of parents in their 
bestowment. Children should be 
taught that the circumstance of their 
bearing the names of good men or 
women, who have lived before them ; 
constitutes an obligation upon them 
to imitate and perpetuate their virtues. 

33. Baal-Berith. That is, The Lord 
of the covenant ; so called, perhaps, 
from his being considered the deity 
that presided over compacts, leagues, 
treaties, covenants, &c, especially to 
avenge the violation of them. 

34, 35. Remembered not the Lord 
their God, — Neither showed they kind- 
ness to the house of Jerubbaal. On 
the two concluding verses of this 



B. C. 1209.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



119 



CHAPTER IX. 

AND Abimelech the son of 
Jerubbaal went to Shechem 
unto a his mother's brethren, and 
communed with them, and with 
all the family of the house of his 
mother's father, saying, 
2 Speak, I pray you, in the 

a ch. 8. 31. 



chapter, we have simply to remark, 
1) That they who are kept from 
evil, not so much by their own choice 
as by the restraint of others, will, 
like the slackened bow, start aside 
the moment the string is loosed. (2) 
We are not to wonder if they are 
ungrateful to us, who show them- 
selves destitute of all gratitude to- 
wards God. 



CHAPTER IX. 

1. Abimelech went to Shechem. 

As Shechem was a city of note in the 
tribe of Ephraim, and the Ephraim- 
ites appear to have been a rash, 
high-spirited, and excitable people, 
particularly jealous of their brethren 
of Manasseh, and perhaps still cher- 
ishing the memory of the fancied 
slight put upon them by Gideon, ch. 
8. 1-3, Abimelech, no doubt, promised 
himself, on this ground, the speedy 
concurrence of the Shechemites in 
his infamous designs. But his first 
step was to enlist his relatives in his 
interest, and with this view he ap- 
plies himself to them, undoubtedly, 
with all the arts of an aspiring dema- 
gogue. 

2. The men of Shechem. Heb. ' the 
masters of Shechem ;' implying per- 
haps the leading men, though not 

necessarily confined to this sense. 

IT Whether is belter, &c. Heb. ' what 
is good 1 whether the ruling over you 



ears of all the men of Shechem, 
Whether is better for you, either 
that all the sons of Jerubbaal, 
which are b three-score and ten 
persons, reign over you, or that 
one reign over you ? remember 
also that I am c your bone and 
your flesh. 

b ch. 8. 30. c Gen. 29. 14. 



of seventy persons,' &c. From the 
authority and influence which Gid- 
eon had possessed, and from the ac- 
knowledged dignity of his family, 
the presumption would naturally be, 
that if the reins of government were 
to be lodged in any hands, it would 
be in those of some one of his sons, 
or of all of them conjointly. On this 
hypothesis Abimelech builds his pro- 
ject. But his words convey a slan- 
derous insinuation which is not obvi- 
ous to the English reader. He speaks 
of Gideon's sons 'reigning' C?Ti)2 
mashal.) or exercising domination 
over their countrymen, whereas it 
was just this species of rule which 
Gideon so expressly rejected both for 
himself and his sons, ch. 8. 23, as in- 
vading the prerogative of the Most 
High; being content with the infe- 
rior degree of authority usually in- 
dicated by the term t3£)E5 shdphat, to 
judge. Nor is there any evidence, 
that either ot his sons had the least 
intention of assuming a despotic 
sway over their brethren. But Abi- 
melech's conduct, in this particular, 
affords but another proof that he who 
has a wicked purpose to serve will 
not stick at a lie to accomplish it, 
and that those who design ill them- 
selves are ever ready to charge 

similar designs upon others. 

IT Your bone and your flesh. Your 
kinsman, of your tribe and lineage, 



120 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1209. 



3 And his mother's brethren 
spake of him in the ears of all 
the men of Shechem all these 
words : and their hearts inclined 
to follow Abimelech ; for they 
said, He is our d brother. 

4 And they gave him three- 
score and ten pieces of silver out 
of the house of e Baal-berith, 

d Gen. 29. 15. 



and therefore so much the more like- 
ly to promote your interests. The 
relation indicated by these words is 
more or less close according to the 
connexion in which they occur. In 
some cases, it implies nothing more 
than descent from a common ances- 
tor, 1 Chron. 11. 1; in others, kin- 
dred of the same blood, as Jacob and 
Laban, Gen. 29. 14 ; David and Am- 
asa, 2 Sam. 19. 13; and in others 
again, it appears simply to indicate 
the relation subsisting between the 
inhabitants of the same city or town. 
Perhaps this is all that is to be under- 
stood in the present case. But how- 
ever interpreted, it was advancing a 
reason for his election, which was 
never contemplated in the appoint- 
ment of magistrates over the nation 
of Israel. It was, in fact, directly 
opposed to the true ends of that in- 
stitution ; which required that per- 
sons chosen to office should be se- 
lected on the ground of moral quali- 
fication, and that in their adminis- 
tration of justice, they should be free 
from the bias naturally arising from 
private and personal regards. 

3. Their hearts inclined to folloiv 
Abimelech. Heb. ^fitf tQ^ 13^1 
"I^fa^JK v ay yet libbam a'hare Ab'ime- 
lek, their heart inclined itself after 
Abimelech ; spoken of as the heart of 
one man. The reason assigned for 



wherewith Abimelech hired 
f vain and light persons, which 
followed him. 

5 And he went unto his father's 
house g at Ophrah, and h slew 
his brethren the sons of Jerub- 
baal, being threescore and ten 

c ch. 8. 33. fch. 11. 3. 2 Chron. 13. 7. 
Prov. 12. 11. Acts 17. 5. g ch. 6. 24. b 2 
Kings 11, 1, 2. 



their adherence, shows that his sug- 
gestions had taken effect. They are 
prompted to support his claims, be- 
cause from his near relationship they 
would doubtless be raised to places 
of preferment under him, and their 
city would be likely to be made the 
metropolis of the kingdom. 

4. Out of the house of Baal-berith. 
From this it is evident that idolatry 
had gained ground again in some 
places during the life-time of Gid- 
eon. The treasure deposited in this 
temple, which had perhaps been rais- 
ed from oblations to the idol, and thus 
consecrated to idolatrous uses, is 
made through the divine counsels the 
instrument of bringing upon the idola- 
tors deserved punishment, by embroil- 
ing them in a civil war that caused 
their ruin. Nothing is more common, 
in the providence of God, than for 
the revenues of sin to be made a 
plague and a curse to those that 

amass them. IF Vain and light 

persons. "Worthless and abandoned 
men ; idlers and vagabonds, the very 
scum of society, persons who were 
living on the public, and had nothing 
to lose ; ever the most fitting instru- 
ments of t}Tanny and cruelty. 

5. Slew his brethren— threescore and 
ten persons. The real number would 
seem to have been sixty-eight, for 
Jotham escaped, and Abimelech him- 



B. C. 1209.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



121 



persons, upon one stone : not- 
withstanding, yet Jotham the 
youngest son of Jerubbaal was 
left ; for he hid himself. 
6 And all the men of Shechem 

self is of course to be excepted. This 
is on the supposition that the whole 
number of Gideon's sons was, accord- 
ing to ch. 8. 30, precisely seventy, 
which however cannot be positively 
affirmed. The presumption is, that 
seventy is here employed as a round 
number. We have in this incident 
the first indication of a savage cus- 
tom, which is not yet extinct in Asia, 
and under which, a new king deems 
it a measure of policy to put to death 
his brothers, from a fear that their 
ambition, or the favor of the people 
towards them, might lead them to 
form designs against his dignity or 
life. Thus, the commencement of a 
new reign is signalized by the same 
horrible transaction as that of which 
we here read. In Persia, where the 
same principle operates, the new 
monarchs have rather sought to se- 
cure their own safety by putting out 
the eyes of their brothers and others 
from whom they might entertain ap- 
prehensions. II Upon one stone. Of 

the precise manner in which the 
murder was effected, we are left in 
ignorance. It was a common mode of 
capital punishment, in ancient times, 
to precipitate culprits from an emi- 
nence upon a rock or stone ; and to 
this our Saviour seems to allude, 
Mat. 21. 44. According to some, it 
was in this manner that the sons of 
Gideon perished on this occasion. 
Others suppose that the stone was 
used as a kind of altar, and that upon 
it Abimelech, in conjunction with 
the men of Shechem, made his un- 
11 



gathered together, and all the 
house of Millo, and went and 
made Abimelech king, by the 
plain of the pillar that was in 
Shechem. 

fortunate victims an oblation to Baal, 
in revenge for the sacrifice of the 
bullock prepared for Baal on the 
rock, ch. 6. 25, 26. This crime of 
Gideon, as these idolators considered 
it, they determined to expiate by the 
sacrifice of his sons. That the men 
of Shechem joined in this impious 
slaughter is indubitable from v. 24, 
and this is about all that can be dis- 
tinctly ascertained respecting it. It 
is highly probable, however, that 
Abimelech, under some false pre- 
tence, as perhaps that of celebrating 
some festival, had convened his 
brethren together in one place. The 
transaction shows, what indeed has 
been shown in a thousand similar in- 
stances, that ruthless ambition never 
hesitates; that neither conscience nor 
affection, neither the love of God nor 
the fear of man, restrains those who 
are under its baneful influence. 

6. All the house of Milla. Heb. 
a*l>tt n^n beth-millo ; literally, the 
house of filling up, perhaps so called 
from a deep pit or valley in the 
neighborhood of Shechem being filled 
up, and a stronghold or castle built 
upon it. There is a strong presump- 
tion that the same place is intended 
as that which, in v. 46, is called ' a 
hold of the house of the god Berith.' 

<RBy the plain of the pillar. Or, 

Heb. S2273 'pSa W im elon mutztzab, 
by the oak of the pillar. The allusion 
is perhaps to the oak or oak-grove 
near which Joshua erected a pillar, 
as a witness of the covenant renewed 
between God and Israel, Josh. 24.26. 



122 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1209. 



7 IF And when they told it to 
Jotham, he went and stood in 
the top of 'mount Gerizim, and 
lifted up his voice, and cried, 

i Deut. 11. 29, and 27. 12. Josh. 8. 33. 
John 4. 20. 

Schraid however maintains that the 
original S272 never signifies a ' pil- 
lar,' or '-statue/ but properly a mound, 
or artificial heap, and supposes that 
the Shechemites raised up some lofty 
elevation, on the summit of which 
the ceremony of Abimelech's coro- 
nation w 7 as performed, in order to 
render the whole visible to a greater 
multitude. This structure he sup- 
poses, moreover, was situated on a 
plain near a certain well-known oak, 
which in memory of the transaction 
was thenceforward called ' the oak 
of the rising heap ;' just as Deborah's 
' palm-tree,' ch. 4. 6, was so called 
from her having made it a seat of 
justice. This view of the subject we 
are inclined to adopt. 

7. Stood in the top of mount Geri- 
zim. A mountain in the immediate 
vicinity of Shechem, of which, see 
Deut. 27. 12. Josephus says, that 
he availed himself of the occasion 
of a public festival, when great mul- 
titudes of the people were assembled 
together at the place specified, but 
still implying that the incident occur- 
red some time after the above-men- 
tioned inauguration of Abimelech as 
king. But to us it appears more 
probable that Jotham's address was 
delivered on the very same occasion 
with the former event, or at least be- 
fore the people had dispersed from 
that convention. The place was the 
same, and from the language, v. 18, 
19, 'ye have risen up this day,' we 
should naturally infer that the time 
was the same. Jotham's abrupt de- 



and said unto them, Hearken 

unto me, ye men of Shechem, 

that God may hearken unto you. 

8 k The trees went forth on a 



See 2 Kings 14. 9. 



parture also, after delivering the pa- 
rable, leads us to the same conclu- 
sion. He would of course entertain 
fears of his personal safety in the 
midst of a body of excited adherents 
of his brother, at the very time when 
their enthusiasm was wrought up to 
the highest pitch, and after uttering 
his message would be likely to maks 
good his retreat as speedily as possi- 
ble. At another time, there would 
have been less occasion for so much 

haste. IT Hearken unto me — that 

God may hearken unto you. Employ- 
ing, in this mode of summoning their 
attention, a kind of adjuration, which 
would be understood to signify that 
he spoke on this occasion by divine 
inspiration, and had a special mes- 
sage from God to deliver to them. 

8. The trees went forth, &c. Heb. 
llDfTb ^bltl holek haleku, going went 
forth ; an emphatic phrase, intimat- 
ing the entire unanimity and hearti- 
ness with which they entered upon 
the measure. We have in this ad- 
dress of Jotham, the oldest, and one 
of the most beautiful parables on re- 
cord. It is the nature of a parable 
or fable to give ' tongues to trees,' and 
intelligence, life, and activity to all 
parts of the animate and inanimate 
creation. The truth of such a para- 
ble lies in the instruction conveyed 
in it, and the feigned circumstances 
being known to be such, are no ways 
inconsistent with veracity, but great- 
ly subserve the cause of truth. The 
peculiar excellence of this mode of 
instruction is, that it arrests the at- 



B. C. 1209.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



123 



time to anoint a king over them ; 
and they said unto the olive- 
tree, 'Reign thou over us. 



tention more forcibly, and conveys 
knowledge more easily, than a train 
of reasoning could do; and convinc- 
es the judgment before prejudice has 
had time to bar the entrance of truth 
into the mind. Accordingly it has 
happened that in the East especially, 
"where the imagination and the whole 
mental temperament is more fervid 
and glowing than elsewhere, this 
veiled form of instruction has always 
been in high repute, whether in con- 
veying wholesome truths to the ear 
of power, or inculcating lessons of 
wisdom and justice and duty upon 
the obtuse and unreasoning multi- 
tude. Mr. Roberts remarks that, 
' The people of the East are exceed- 
ingly addicted to apologues, and use 
them to convey instruction or reproof, 
which with them could scarcely be 
done so well in any other way. Has 
a man been told a secret, he says, in 
repeating it, for instance, " A tree 
told me this morning, that Kandan 
offered a large bribe to the Modeliar, 
to get Muttoo turned out of his situa- 
tion." Does a man of low caste wish 
to uni:e his son in marriage to the 
daughter of one who is high, the 
latter will say, " Have you heard that 
the pumpkin wants to be married to 
the plantain-tree'?" Is a wife ste- 
rile, " The cocoa-nut tree in Viraver's 
garden does not bear any fruit." Has 
a woman had children by improper 
intercourse, it is said of her husband's 
garden, :: Ah, the palmirah-trees are ' 
now giving cocoa-nuts." Has a man 
given his daughter in marriage to an- 
other who uses her unkindly, he says, 
"I haver Ian ted the sugar-cane by the 



9 But the olive-tree said unto 
them, Should I leave my fat- 

l ch. 8. 22, 23. 

side of the margossa (bitter) tree." ' 
A short fable, together with its ' mor- 
al,' is more easily remembered than 
a labored argument or the same truth 
expressed in abstract terms, and 
hence it is that we find this vehicle 
of instruction so frequently employed 
in the Scriptures. Fables are there 
exemplified in all their various uses, 
whether to reprove kings, to admon- 
ish multitudes, or to instruct disci- 
ples. Our Lord himself did not dis- 
dain to employ them. They are all 
perfect of their kind; nearly all of 
them are very short ; and in most in- 
stances, as in that now before us, the 
application is made by the speaker. 
The general moral of Jotham's para- 
ble is, (1) That weak and worthless 
men are ever forward to thrust them- 
selves into power, while the wise and 
good are more prone to decline it. 
(2) That they who unduly affect 
honor, and they who unjustly confer 
it, will prove sources of misery to 
each other. Both these points are 
most strikingly illustrated in the pre- 
sent fable, as compared with the ac- 
tual results. IT TV? anoint a Icing. 

From which it appears that the cere- 
mony of anointing was in use among 
the neighboring nations, long before 
there was any king in Israel ; for the 
scope of the parable makes it neces- 
sary to suppose that this was done in 
imitation of foreign tribes. As the 
Lord was their king, there was no 
more occasion for the Israelites set- 
ting a king over them, than there 
was for the trees to appoint a pro- 
tecting head over them 

9. The olive tree said, &c. As the 



124 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1209. 



ness, ro wherewith by me they 
honor God and man, and go to 
be promoted over the trees ? 
10 And the trees said to the 



m Ps. 104. 15. 



bramble was the meanest and most 
worthless of all the trees of the field, 
or forest, so the olive was the most 
useful. This tree, naturalists ob- 
serve, seems to have been originally 
a native of Asia, whence it was 
transplanted into Egypt and Barbary 
and the South of Europe. The wood 
is hard-grained and heavy, and not 
liable to be injured by insects. Its 
color is yellowish, veined, and of an 
agreeable odor, while its texture ren- 
ders it susceptible of a fine polish. 
The appearance of the olive-tree is 
not unlike that of our willows, as the 
leaves are lance-shaped, or narrow, 
and hoary. The fruit when ripe is 
like a damson to the eye, with a soft 
oleaginous pulp, and a hard nut in 
the centre. In some parts of France 
the inhabitants eat the berries of the 
olive with their bread, and find them 
an agreeable and wholesome condi- 
ment. The olive, in general, requires 
a little preparation in brine or hot 
water to dissipate the bitter principle 
which it contains, though a variety, 
which is very uncommon in France, 
is so sweet that it may be eaten at 
once. It is probable that the olives 
of Judea, when in its prosperity, were 
of this character, and formed to the 
inhabitants a pleasant accompani- 
ment to the more substantial articles 
of their daily food. The oil of the 
olive is pre-eminent among vegeta- 
ble oils, and has not only always had 
an extensive use in culinary purposes, 
but formed the menstruum or vehicle 
of the most celebrated perfumes. 



fig-tree, Come thou, and reign 
over us. 

11 But the fig-tree said unto 
them, Should I forsake my 
sweetness, and my good fruit, 



IF Should I leave my fatness. The 
form of the original is peculiar, be- 
ing apparently so compounded as to 
convey at once both an active and 
passive sense ;— ' Shall be persuaded 
to make to cease, (i. e. to forego) my 
fatness V — covertly implying that the 
assumption of rank and authority in- 
volves a relinquishment of one's pri- 
vate ease, advantage, and comfort. 

TT Wherewith by me they honor 

God and man. There was a large 
use of olive-oil in the service of God. 
The priests were anointed with it, 
the lamps in the tabernacle lighted 
with it, and almost all the offerings 
of fine flour cakes prepared in the 
pan, &c, had oil mingled with them ; 
for which reason Jotham might say 
that ' with it they honor God.' More- 
over as priests, prophets, and kings, 
were anointed with it, and their of- 
fice was the most honorable, he might 
with propriety say, ' therewith they 

honor man.' IT Go to be promoted 

over the trees. Marg. ' to go up and 
down for other trees.' Horsely, ' to 
wave or nod over the trees.' Our ren- 
dering, ' promoted,' comes far short 
of giving the exact force of the He- 
brew. . The original word properly 
signifies to be moved to and fro, to 
wander, to stagger, to be shaken and 
tossed. This interpretation gives a 
more lively image of the perils, cares, 
and vicissitudes of government, espe- 
cially among a turbulent and refrac- 
tory people. 

11. Should I forsake my sweetness. 
The fruit of the fig-tree is the sweet- 



] 



B. C. 1209.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



125 



and go to be promoted over the 
trees ? 

12 Then said the trees unto 
the vine, Come thou, and reign 
over us. 

13 And the vine said unto 
them, Should I leave my wine, 
"which cheereth God and man, 

n Ps. 104. 15. 



est or most luscious of all fruits. A 
full, ripe fig, in its own climate, has 
an indescribable sweetness ; so much 
so : that it is almost impossible to eat 
them, till a considerable lime after 
(hey are gathered from the trees, and 
have gone through an artificial pre- 
paration. 

13. Wkich cheereth God and man. 
Not that God and man are cheered 
by the use of wine in the same way ; 
but as it was employed in the sacri- 
fices and offerings made to God, it 
might in that sense be said that he 
was •' cheered' by it, because when 
thus offered he was graciously pleas- 
ed to accept of it. 

14, Then said all the trees unto the 
bramble, Come thou, and reign over 
us. The meanest and most worth- 
less of trees, and fit only to be burn- 
ed, though capable of annoyance from 
being armed with prickly spikes. 
The original "JEK atad, translated 

thorns' in Ps. 58. 9, and rendered 
rhamnus, in the Vulgate, is supposed 
to have been a species of buckthorn, 
a native of Syria and Palestine, 
whence it migrated into Europe in 
the reign of Augustus Caesar. Many 
of the buckthorn family are remarka- 
ble for the length and abundance of 
their spine-;, and for the very com- 
bustible nature of their wood, which 
probably suggested the idea of the 
' fire' that was to come forth and con- 
11* 



and go to be promoted over the 
trees ? 

14 Then said all the trees unto 
the bramble, Come thou, and 
reign over us. 

15 And the bramble said unto 
the trees, If in truth ye anoint 
me king over you, then come 



sume the disaffected. It is a proper 
emblem of a base-born, impious, cru- 
el, and oppressive king. 

15. If in truth ye anoint me, &e. 
That the bramble here represents 
Abirnelech, chosen and anointed king 
by the Sheche mites, is the general 
opinion of commentators, both Chris- 
tian and Jewish ; and thus far, un- 
doubtedly, the opinion is correct. But 
when it is supposed, that the words 
spoken by the bramble represent sim- 
ilar words actually spoken by Abirn- 
elech, it may be questioned whether 
they have hit the true scope of the 
passage. The real import of the 
bramble's reply seems to be, not to 
represent what Abirnelech actually 
said, but what he justly might have 
said, in a spirit of prophecy, to the 
men of Shechem, intent upon his 
elevation to the throne. The bram- 
ble, in answer to the proposal, does 
not decline, but accepts, the offered 
honor ; but yet in the very terms of 
the acceptance moved by a prophetic 
impulse, utters a prediction respect- 
ing the event, implying that so far as 
this measure was not adopted in 
truth, i. e. rightly, properly, accepta- 
bly, it would be attended with disas- 
trous consequences, and the bramble, 
as an unjust usurper over the rest of 
the trees, would be consumed by a 
fire that should spread and involve 
in its ravages the lofty cedars of Le- 



126 



JUDGES. 



[B U. 1209. 



and put your trust in my ° sha- 
dow : and if not, p let fire come 
out of the bramble, and devour 
the q cedars of Lebanon. 

16 Now therefore, if ye have 
done truly and sincerely, in that 
ye have made Abimelech king, 
and if ye have dealt well with 
Jerubbaal and his house, and 



o Isa. 30. 2. Dan. 4. 12. Hos. 14. 7. P ver. 
20- Nam. 21. 28. Ezek. 19. 14. q 2 Kings 
14. 9. Ps. 104. 16. Isa. 2. 13, and 37. 24. 
Ezek. 31. 3. 



banon. This was precisely what 
Abimelech should have said to the 
men of Shechem, although, in point 
of fact, he seems to have been so 
confident of success, and a favorable 
result, that nothing was farther from 
his thoughts. The whole drift of the 
passage turns upon the true meaning 
of the phrase ' in truth,' which is not 
here opposed to falsehood, duplicity, 
fraud, and mockery, but to conduct, 
which is wrong, improper, not found- 
ed in views of duty and obedience. 
Consequently the words that follow, 
' let fire come out,' &c , ought rather 
to be rendered, ' fire shall come out,' 
&c, as they are merely a prediction 
of the result that would ensue, pro- 
vided their motives had not been 
right in what they had done. Jo- 
tham's application in the ensuing 
verses clearly confirms this inter- 
pretation. IT Let fire come out of 

the bramble, &c. Understood as a 
prophecy, the meaning is, that the 
man represented by the bramble will 
be a source of plagues and judgments 
to the 'cedars of Lebanon,' i. e. to 
the most eminent persons of the 
land, particularly of Shechem ; a 
prediction which the sequel shows to 
have been remarkably fulfilled. 



have done unto him r according 
to the deserving of his hands : 

17 (For my father fought for 
you, and adventured his life far, 
and delivered you out of the 
hand of Midian : 

IS s And ye are risen up against 
my father's house this day, and 
have slain his sons, threescore 
and ten persons, upon one stone, 
and have made Abimelech, the 
son of his maid-servant, king 

r ch. 8. 35. s ver. 5, 6. 



16. If ye have done truly and sin- 
cerely. Properly rendered by the 
Vulgate, ' If ye haVe acted well and 
without sin in appointing,' &c. The 
phrase is exegetical of 'in truth' in 
the preceding verse. The same ex- 
pression occurs Josh. 24. 14. 

17. Adventured his life far. Heb. 
TDfc Wtfi na "jinZT yishlek eth naph- 
sho minneged, cast his life from over 
against. A metaphorical expres- 
sion, highly significant, and re- 
quiring us to conceive that Gideon, 
while occupying a place of safety, 
with his life unjeoparded, heroically 
resolves to throw it, as one would 
cast a spear, directly towards the 
enemy, into the very midst of peril. 
This he did when he fell with only 
three hundred men upon the multi- 
tudinous hosts of the Midianites. 
Comp. ch. 5. 18, and 12. 3. 

18. Have slain his sons. The mur- 
derous deed perpetrated by Abime- 
lech is here charged upon the men 
of Shechem, on the ground of their 
having consented to it, approved of 
it, and probably assisted in it. Par- 
ticipators in crime justly share the 

guilt of the principals. IT Son of 

his maid-servant. His concubine; 
so called here by way of disparage- 






B. C 1209.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



127 



over the men of Shechem, be- 
cause he is your brother :) 

19 If ye then have dealt truly 
and sincerely with .lerubbaal 
and with his house this day, 
then 'rejoice ye in Abimelech, 
and let him also rejoice in you : 

20 But if not "let fire come 
out from Abimelech, and devour 

i Isai. 8. 0. Phil. 3. 3. u ver. 15, 56, 57. 



nient and reproach- Maid-servants, 
however, were often adopted as con- 
cubines, Ex. 21. 7-10. IT Because 

he is you?- brother. Not because he is 
the son ofGideon, or for any intrin- 
sic worth in himself, bat simply from 
his bearing a relation to you, which 
yon hope to turn to your advantage. 

19. If ye have dealt truly wnd sin- 
cerely — then rejoice ye, &c. He there- 
fore leaves it to the event, that is, to 
the providence of God, to determine 
whether they had done well or ill in 
their choice ; q. d. ' if your conduct 
towards the house of Gideon can be 
justified at any bar of justice, honor, 
or conscience, then much good may 
you have of your king; but if you 
have dealt basely and wickedly in 
this matter, then never expect to 
prosper.' 

20. Let fire come out, &c. Or, Heb. 
w'S Klin tetze tsh, fire shall come out. 
Not barely a prediction, but also an 
imprecation or curse, as it is ex- 
pressly called, v. 57. As the thorn 
or bramble may be the means of kin- 
dling other wood, because it may be 
easily ignited; so shall Abimelech 
be the cause of kindling a fire of 
civil discord among you, that shall 
consume the rulers and great men 
of your country. The denunciations 
of prophets and good men, uttered 
under divine prompting, were often 



the men of Shechem, and the 
house of Millo ; and let fire 
come out from the men of 
Shechem, and from the house 
of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 
21 And Jotham ran away, and 
fled, and went to x Beer, and 
dwelt there, for fear of Abime- 
lech his brother. 

x 2 Sam. 20. 14. 

clothed with an efficiency which laid 
a foundation for the character given, 
of them in what is said of the two 
witnesses, Rev. 11. 5, 6, ' And if any 
man will hurt them, fire proceedeth 
out of their mouth, and devoureth 
their enemies. These have power 
to shut heaven, that it rain not in the 
days of their prophecy; and have 
power — to smite the earth with all 
plagues, as often as they will.' 

21. Ran aicay and fled and went. 
This accumulation of equivalent ex- 
pressions denotes the great haste with 
which Jotham made his escape ; 
confirming the view given above, v. 
7, of the time when this address was 
delivered. IT To Beer. Beer sig- 
nifies a well, and is prefixed to the 
names of many places mentioned in 
Scripture, from water being found 
in their vicinity. The place here 
designated seems to have been a city 
of the Gibeonites, Josh. 9. 17, within 
the boundary of the tribe of Benja- 
min. It was situated about ten miles 
north of Jerusalem, and not far from 
Gibeah. Eusebius takes notice of 
this place as being a considerable 
village in his time ; and Maundrell 
informs us that the modern village 
stands in a pleasant situation on an 
edge of the hill, with a gentle de- 
clivity to the south. At the foot of 
the hill there is an excellent spring 



128 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1206. 



22 TT When Abimeleeh had 
reigned three years over Israel, 

23 Then y God sent an evil 
spirit between Abimeleeh and 
the men of Shechem ; and the 
men of Shechem z dealt treach- 
erously with Abimeleeh : 

y 1 Sam. 16. 14, and 18. 9, 10. See 1 Kings 
22. 15, and 22. 22. 2 Ghron. 10. 15, and 18. 
19, &c. Isa. 19. 2, 14. z Isai. 33. 1. 

of water, which may have given it its 
name, and above it are the remains 
of an old church built by the empress 
Helena. 

22. When Abimeleeh had reigned 
three years over Israel. Here again 
the original for ' reigned ' IITlIB sa>- 
rah), is a word properly signifying 
to exercise despotic sway, a species of 
rule entirely different from the mild 
and gentle ascendency indicated by 
the term t3&1S shaphat, to judge. The 
legitimate rulers of Israel at this 
time could never be termed S^TIB 
sarim, princes, unless in consequence 
of the usurpation of a power which 
the primitive structure of their gov- 
ernment did not allow. It is proba- 
ble that Abimeleeh's authority did 
not at first extend beyond the city of 
Shechem, which had appointed him 
king. But by gradual encroach- 
ments he seems to have extended his 
sway over some of the adjacent towns 
and territories, compelling them to 
acknowledge his power, as we find 
him, v. 50, going against Thebez, in 
the tribe of Ephraim, as a rebellious 
city that seems to have refused sub- 
jection to him. By the phrase 
' reigned over Israel/ we are doubt- 
less to understand a part of Israel, 
i. e. such tribes as submitted to him. 

23. God sent an evil spirit. That 
is, permitted the evil spirit of dis- 



24 a That the cruelty done to 
the threescore and ten sons of 
Jerubbaal might come, and their 
blood be laid upon Abimeleeh 
their brother which slew them, 
and upon the men of Shechem 
which aided him in the killing 
of his brethren. 



1 Xings 2. 32. 
;. 23. 35, 36, 



Esth. 9. 25. Ps. 7. W. 



cord and treachery to break out 
Under the direction of providence,, 
but not in consequence of any posi- 
tive agency, jealousies were suffered 
to arise, which produced factions, 
and these factions in their turn pro- 
duced insurrections, civil conten- 
tions, and bloodshed. Comp. 1 Kings 
22. 23 ; Ps. 78. 49. The throne of 
violence never stands secure. The 
blood upon which it has been esta- 
blished seldom fails to undermine it 

at last. IT Dealt treacherously. The 

original properly implies faithless- 
ness, or the being wanting to one's en- 
gagements, and is especially applied, 
Jer. 3. 20, to conjugal infidelity. 
The Sheehemites brake their cove- 
nant with Abimeleeh and shook off 
his yoke, but how far they were 
chargeablein this with a moral delin- 
quency in the sight of God, we pre- 
tend not to say. The word, perhaps, 
in this connexion, does not carry any 
such implication with it. 

24. That the cruelty, &c. That is, 
the just revenge of that cruelty ; in- 
dicating the end, the scope, of the 
sovereign permission mentioned in 
the preceding verse. Sooner or later 
the justice of God will make inqui- 
sition for blood, especially the blood 

of the innocent. TT Which aided 

I him. Heb. ^"P DS IpTil hizzekueth 
I yadav, which strengthened, his hands. 



B. C. 1206.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



129 



25 And the men of Shechem 
set liers in wait for him in the 
top of the mountains, and they 
robbed all that came along that 
way by them : and it was told 
Abimelech. 

26 And Gaal the son of Ebed 



25. Set liers in wait. The writer 
now goes on to state in what manner 
the evil spirit of dissension before 
spoken of began to produce its le- 
gitimate effects. The disaffection 
which had been some time growing 
in secret, at length taking advantage 
of Abimelech's temporary absence 
from Shechem, assumed the charac- 
ter of open revolt, and a conspiracy 
was formed to make a prisoner of 
him whom they had lately hailed as 
prince. God is often pleased to pun- 
ish bad men by the very persons who 
have contributed to their elevation, 
thus chastising them with the rods 
which they themselves have gather- 
ed. ^Robbed all that came along 

that way. Disappointed and impa- 
tient probably by reason of Abime- 
lech's delay in returning, those who 
were posted in ambush were prompt- 
ed to enact upon others the violence 
intended for him, and more especi- 
ally, we may suppose, upon such of 
his known adherents as chanced to 
pass that way. 

2G And Gaal the son of Ebed came, 
&c. The mention of this person is 
somewhat abruptly introduced, and 
we know no more of him than is 
here stated. It has been conjectured 
that he was a native Canaanite from 
his courting the Shechemites into 
subjection to the men of Hamor. who 
was anciently, in the days of Jacob, 
lord of this city. However this may 
be, there is little doubt that he was a 



came with his brethren, and 
went over to Shechem : and the 
men of Shechem put their con- 
fidence in him. 

27 And they went out into the 
fields, and gathered their vine- 
yards, and trode the grapes, and 

man of rank and influence, who had 
once been a citizen of Shechem, but 
for reasons unknown, had ceased for 
a time to be a resident there. Being, 
however, of a bold, aspiring, ambi- 
tious character, and finding the 
troubled state of the city propitious 
to his designs, he returns, accom- 
panied with a strong party of rela- 
tives, and begins plotting at once to 

put himself at the head of affairs. 

l{Went over to Shechem. Or, Heb. 
1 passed by into Shechem.' That is, 
probably, passed by the liers in wait. 
Knowing them to be a party hostile 
to Abimelech and favorable to their 
own views, they suffered them to 
pass without molestation. It is not 
unlikely that Gaal had been previ- 
ously in correspondence with the 
disaffected part of the Shechemites, 
and was fully advised of the state of 

things in the city. IT Put their 

confidence in him. So as to make 
him head of the faction which had 
been organizing against Abimelech, 
but which hitherto had lacked a suit- 
able leader, Vulg. 'At whose com- 
ing the inhabitants of Shechem took 
courage.' 

27. And they went cut, &c. Or, 
Heb. * and when they had gone out, 
&c— then they made merry.' The 
original for " making merry,' is prop- 
erly, 'making songs,' or, 'making 
praises,' and refers to the custom of 
celebrating the harvest of vintage 
with songs of rejoicing and other fes- 



130 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1206. 



made merry, and went into b the 

and did eat 

Abime- 



god, 
and cursed 



house of their 
and drink, 
lech. 

28 And Gaal the son of Ebed 
said, c Who is Abimelech, and 
who is Shechem, that we should 

b ver. 4. c 1 Sam. 25. 10. 1 Kings 12. 16. 

tivities ; of which see Lev. 19. 24; 

Is. 16. 9, 10 ; Jer. 25. 30. IT Went 

into the house of their god, &c. In 
imitation of the worshippers of the 
true God, who resorted to the sanc- 
tuary on such occasions. IT Cursed 

Abimelech, Loading his name with 
the foulest reproaches and revilings, 
and perhaps calling upon their god 
to ratify their imprecations. The 
excitement occasioned by wine in 
scenes of mirth and banqueting natu- 
rally prepares men for murders, trea- 
son, and every evil work. 

28. Who is Abimelech, and who is 
Shechem ? That is, the Shechemites. 
Compare them together, put this 
base-born, worthless usurper by the 
side of us native Shechemites, and 
what reason can be assigned for our 

subjection to him. fF Is he not the 

son of Jerttlbaal ? Spoken by way of 
disparagement and contempt, as if 
despising his memory and prompted 
by an indignant recollection of the 
act on which his name was founded, 
viz. his throwing down the altar of 
Baal. Thus do men of turbulent 
and ambitious spirits ' despise domin- 
ions, and speak evil of dignities,' and 
thus are the most valuable services 
of the best of men requited by the 

vile and worthless. IT And Zebul 

his officer ? Heb. IT^pS pekido, his 
overseer ; probably made governor of 
Shechem by Abimelech in his ab- 
sence. Are you so mean-spirited and 



serve him ? is not he the son of 
Jerubbaal ? and Zebul his offi- 
cer ? serve the men of d Hamor 
the father of Shechem : for why 
should we serve him ? 

29 And e would to God this 
people were under my hand ! 

d Gen. 34. 2, 6. e 2 Sam. 15. 4. 



cowardly that you not only submit 
to the tyrant himself, but surfer his 
very servants to lord it over you, and 
particularly this contemptible Zebul 1 

TT Serve the men of. Hamor. The 

descendants of Hamor. If ye will be 
in subjection, call someone to authori- 
ty who is descended from the ancient 
and legitimate stock of Shechem, in- 
stead of this ignoble alien despot. 
This was perhaps a virtual chal- 
lenge to them to fix their choice upon 
himself, as deriving his origin from 
this source. This is confirmed by 
what follows. M The father of She- 
chem. The father or founder of the 
city and the race of the Shechemites; 
the name of an individual standing 
for the whole people. 

29. Would to God this people were 
under my hand! An exclamation dis- 
closing the hidden source which usu- 
ally prompts the complaints of artful 
demagogues against the existing or- 
der of things, and their large profes- 
sions of concern for the public wel- 
fare ; though seldom so frankly de- 
clared as in the present instance. His 
words clearly evince that his real ob- 
ject was not so much to recover the 
liberties of his countrymen, as to per- 
suade them to a change of rulers. It 
is not easy to set bounds to the mis- 
chief that may be effected by an art- 
ful leader working upon the minds 

of an inflamed populace. IT Then 

would I remove Abimelech, Would 






B. C. 1206.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



131 



then would I remove Abimelech. 
And he said to Abimelech, In- 
crease thine army, and come out. 

30 IT And when Zebul the ruler 
of the city heard the words of 
Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger 
was kindled. 

31 And he sent messengers 
unto Abimelech privily, saying, 
Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed, 



speedily remove, dispatch, or make 
way with 5 an emphatic expression^ 
implying more in Hebrew than in 

English, M He said to Abimelech, 

Increase thine army, &e. As we have 
no evidence that Abimelech was 
within hearing of these words, the 
probability is, that being heated with 
wine and purled up with arrogance, 
Gaal addresses and defies him, in 
this bravado style, as though actual- 
ly present. Yet it may be that he 
sent word by some of Abimelech's 
friends to their master, that he was 
willing to dispute the point with him, 
allowing him at the same time every 
advantage on the score of numbers 
which he could desire. Let him 
gather all his allies, and do his 
worst, still he would find the son of 
Ebed more than a match for him. 

30. His anger was kindled. How- 
ever he might have felt for his mas- 
ter's honor, it was scarcely to be ex- 
pected that he should pass by the in- 
sult cast upon himself. It would 
seem, v. 36, that from motives of po- 
licy he had hitherto temporized with 
the disaffected party at Shechem, but 
he now becomes decided, though he 
is still restrained from open mea- 
sures against the insurgents. 

31. Sent messengers— privily. Heb. 
fJtt'tfd belarmah, craftily, in fraud. 
That is, the pretended, object of his 



and his brethren, be come to 
Shechem ; and behold, they for- 
tify the city against thee; 

32 Now therefore up by night, 
thou, and the people that is 
with thee, and lie in wait in the 
field : 

33 And it shall be, that in the 
morning, as soon as the sun is 
up, thou shalt rise early, and set 



sending them did not correspond with 
his real object. His ' givings out' 
were far removed from his ' true- 
meant designs. 5 If he had discover- 
ed himself to be wholly for Abime- 
lech, the men of the city might at 
once have risen against him and put 
him to death. He therefore goes 
warily to work to acquaint Abime- 
lech with the enemy's designs, and 
to put him in a way to revenge the 

insults cast upon them both; 

IF They fortify the city against thee. 
Heh. D^S tzarim, are besieging, 
from the root TlE tzur, to besiege, to 
press with siege, usually spoken of 
hostile operations carried on by in- 
vaders from withouti and not without 
great violence applied to defensive 
measures adopted b}^ those loithin a 
city. For this reason the expres- 
sion, we suppose, is to be taken me- 
taphorically for the influence exerted 
by Gaal and his party upon the minds 
of the citizens, in stirring up, exciting, 
augmenting the sedition that was 
spreading through the city. They 
were engaged in pressing, urging, 
instigating the citizens against Abi- 
melech, and therefore it was import- 
ant for him to make haste in advanc- 
ing upon Shechem. 

33. Set upon the city. We doubt 
if this rendering gives the true force 
of the original, or the real policy of 



132 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1206. 



upon the city : and behold, when 
he and the people that is with 
him come out against thee, then 
mayest thou do to them as thou 
shalt find occasion. 

34 IF And Abimelech rose up, 
and all the people that were with 
him, by night, and they laid wait 
against Shechem in four compa- 
nies. 

35 And Gaal the son of Ebed 
went out, and stood in the en- 
tering of the gate of the city : 
and Abimelech rose up, and the 

Abimelech. He does not seem to 
have designed, at least at present, to 
attack the city while Gaal was in it. 
He even abstained from this after 
he had overcome him in the open 
field, and when nothing that we can 
see prevented his pushing his con- 
quest into the heart of Shechem, v. 
40. But the true import of the word 
is to spread one's self, to expand, and 
the phrase may be rendered, ' spread 
thyself (thy forces) against or to- 
wards the city,' i. e. with a view to 
lure out Gaal to an engagement in 

the open field. 'VAs thou shalt find 

occasion. Heb. ' as thine hand shall 
find;' an Hebraism, properly ren- 
dered in our translation. Comp. 1 
Sam. 10. 7, where the same phrase 
occurs. 

34. Abimelech rose up. Addressed 
himself to the matter before him, en- 
tered upon the business in hand. 
See on Josh. 1. 2. 

34. Laid wait. Probably in some 
of the mountains in the immediate 
vicinity, as is to be inferred from v. 

36. IT In four companies. Heb. 

E^JK*! J15-1&5 arbaah rashim, in 
four heads; a term applied to the 
general divisions of anything. 



people that were with him, from 
lying in wait. 

36 And when Gaal saw the 
people, he said to Zebul, Be- 
hold, there come people down 
from the top of the mountains. 
And Zebul said unto him, Thou 
seest the shadow of the moun- 
tains as if they were men. 

37 And Gaal spake again, and 
said, See, there come people 
down by the middle of the land, 
and another company come 
along by the plain of Meonenim. 



35. Gaal went out~—and stood at 
the entering of the gate. Probably 
not alone, but at the head of his 
forces, either to lead them forth upon 
some short excursion about the city, 
or to be prepared for whatever as- 
sault might be meditated against him, 
' Had he been as valiant as he was 
vigilant, it might have gone better 
with him and his partisans.' Trapp. 

36. He said to Zebul, Behold, &c. 
The familiarity existing between 
these two individuals, under their 
present circumstances, shows very 
clearly that Zebul had hitherto dis- 
sembled his real sentiments and pur- 
poses. It is not possible otherwise 
to account for such an interview at 
this time between parties so related. 

37. By the middle of the land. Heb. 
"p^an TlSB E£fa meim tabbur ha- 
arelz, from the navel of the land. 
That is, as Gesenius and other lexi- 
cographers explain it, from the height, 
the most elevated summit, of the land. 

1T2??/ the plain of Meonenim, Or, 

Heb. tnmSfc "pia 'plfc middereh 
elon meoncdivi, by the way of the oalh 
of the augurers, or regarders of times ; 
probably a tree or cluster of trees 
tvhere superstitious auguries were 



B. C. 1206.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



133 



3S Then said Zebul unto him, 
Where is now thy mouth,where- 
with thou f saidst, Who is Abi- 
melech, that we should serve 
him ? is not this the people that 
thou hast despised ? go out, I 
pray now, and fight with them. 

39 And Gaal went oat before 
the men of Shechem, and fought 
with Abimelech. 

40 And Abimelech chased him, 

t ver. 28, 29. 



performed, or where certain sooth- 
sayers dwelt. 

38. Wliere is now thy mouth, &c. 
"Where is now thy boasting, thy vain 
bravado, of which thou wert lately 
so profuse ? Does thy courage be- 
gin to quail upon the bare sight of 
the enemy ! In proportion as Abi- 
melech approached, Zebul begins to 
speak with more effrontery, and 
throw off his disguise, though his 
words still had the air of merely ex- 
citing Gaal to go forth like a man 
and redeem the pledge he had before 
given. Gaal thus had proof that 
those who are rebels themselves 
must not expect fidelity in their asso- 
ciates. 

39. And Gaal vent out, &c. The 
only becoming answer to such cut- 
ting taunts and sarcasms was to sally 
boldly forth against the enemy. But 
the special hand of God was in the 
event for his punishment. 'Where 
iniquity breakfasts, calamity will be 
sure to dine.' Trapp. 

41. Abimelech dwelt in Arumah. 
Heb. lUaTtBG I'L"" 1 yeshcb bdrumah, 
sat down in Arumah. He retired 
hither for the present with his army, 
still cherishing the de-ign of gaining 

farther advantages. IT Zebul thrust 

out Gaal and his brethren. These 



and he fled before him, and many 
were overthrown, and wounded, 
even unto the entering of the 
gate. 

41 And Abimelech dwelt at 
Arumah : and Zebul thrust out 
Gaal and his brethren, that they 
should not dwell in Shechem. 

42 And it came to pass on the 
morrow, that the people went 
out into the field ; and they told 
Abimelech. 



words, it would seem, are not to be 
taken as indicating a violent expul- 
sion. For if Zebul and his party had 
obtained a complete ascendency in 
the city, why did they not at once 
deliver up Gaal and his faction to 
Abimelech, and receive him within 
the walls 1 The fact undoubtedly 
was, that notwithstanding the recent 
defeat, the crafty Zebul saw that 
Abimelech's interest in the city was 
not strong enough to justify him in 
completely throwing off the mask, 
and he accordingly went to work, 
like a skilful master of intrigue, to 
undermine Gaal in the affections of 
the people, by hypocritically griev- 
ing over. the recent disaster, and per- 
suading them that it was owing to 
the cowardice and bad management 
! of their leader. This is the account 
Josephus gives of the matter, and we 
think the correct one. The conse- 
quence was, that Gaal made an ig- 
nominious exit from the city, and we 
hear no more of him. 

42. The people went out into the 
field. To follow their usual employ- 
ments. As Abimelech had with- 
drawn his forces, they issued forth, 
not dreaming but they were entirely 
secure. But the wrath of a king 
does not so easily subside. IT They 



134 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1206. 



43 And he took the people, 
and divided them into three 
companies, and laid wait in the 
field, and looked, and behold, 
the people were come forth out 
of the city ; and he rose up 
against them, aud smote them. 

44 And Abimelech, and the 
company that was with him, 
rushed forward, and stood in the 
entering of the gate of the city : 
and the two other companies ran 



told Abimelech, A Hebrew idiom, 
for ' it was told to Abimelech.' 

43. And he took the people, &c. We 
prefer to render this in the pluperfect, 
' for he had taken,' &c, as it seems 
far less likely that he should set an 
ambush, while the people were al- 
ready in the field 3 and could easily 
discover all his movements. More- 
over, the last clause of the verse as 
read in the original, ' behold, the 
people coming forth,' plainly shows 
that their egress from the city took 
place after the ambush was laid. 

44. And Abimelech and the company 
that vjas with him, &c. This verse 
details in a more particular manner 
the circumstance of the ' smiting,' 
mentioned above, and at the same 
time anticipates the question, why 
the people attacked did not at once 
betake themselves to the city. Be- 
cause, says the narrative, Abimelech 
with a strong detachment interposed 
himself, and cut off the communica- 
tion between them and the city, that 
they might neither make their retreat 
within the walls, nor receive any suc- 
cors from thence. * When we go out 
about our business, we are not sure 
that we shall come home again ; there 
are deaths both in the city and in the 
field.' Henry. 



upon all the people that were in 
the fields, and slew them. 

45 And Abimelech fought 
against the city all that day; 
and g he took the city, and slew 
the people that was therein, and 
b beat down the city, and sowed 
it with salt. 

46 TT And when all the men 
of the tower of Shechem heard 

e Ver. 20. h Deut. 29. 23. 1 Kings 12, 25 
2 Kings 3. 25. • 



45. Took the city, &c. Though 
the city of his nativity, yet he fell 
upon in with merciless barbarity, laid 
it in ruins, by beating down its walls 
and buildings, and slew all the in- 
habitants! His sowing it with salt, 
was in token that he designed it to 
become a perpetual desolation. The 
salt was not intended to render it bar- 
ren, for a town or city is not designed 
for culture, but for building; but as 
salt is an emblem of incorruption and 
perpetuity, it was employed toper" 
petuate the memory of this transac- 
tion* By comparing Deut. 29. 33, it 
would appear that there was an allu- 
sion in the act to the destruction of 
Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet all his 
efforts did not avail to make its de- 
solation permanent, for it was after- 
wards rebuilt, and became so con- 
siderable a place that all Israel re- 
sorted thither to make Rehoboam 
king, 1 Kings 12. 1. 

46. The men of the tower of Shechem. 
Heb. Via>3 ^?n baale migdol, the 
lords or masters of the tower. How 
these persons were distinguished from 
the other inhabitants of Shechem, 
or how this tower sStood related to 
the city, it is extremely difficult to 
determine. It is not unlikely that it 
was a ca.nle belonging to the city 






B. C. 1206.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



135 



that, they entered into an hold 
of the house ' of the god Berith. 

47 And it was told Abimelech, 
that all the men of the tower of 
Shechem were gathered toge- 
ther. 

48 And Abimelech gat him up 
to mount k Zalmon, he and all 
the people that were with him ; 
and Abimelech took an axe in 
his hand, and cut down a bough 
from the trees, and took it, and 
laid it on his shoulder, and said 
unto the people that were with 
him, What ye have seen me do, 
make haste, and do as I have 
done. 

49 And all the people likewise 

ich. 8.33. kPs. 68. 14. 

and situated in its vicinity, to which 
a considerable portion of the popula- 
tion had previously betaken them- 
selves to escape the fury of their in- 
vader. Whatever it were, it was 
now deemed too insecure an asylum 
to trust to, and its occupants with- 
drew to a strong-hold in the precincts 
of the temple, where they promised 
themselves safety if not from its 
strength, at least from its sacredness. 
But in putting themselves under the 
protection of their idol, that which 
they hoped would have been for their 
welfare, proved to them a snare and 
a trap. It is highly probable that this 
was no other than the place called, 
v. 6, ' the house of Millo,' which was 
to be involved in the catastrophe 
predicted in Jotham's curse, v. 20, 
an event most strikingly accomplish- 
ed when the place was set on fire by 
Abimelech 

48. Mount Zalmon. A mountain 
in the vicinity of Shechem, so called 
from the abundant shade caused by 



cut down every man his bough, 
and followed Abimelech, and put 
them to the hold, and set the 
hold on fire upon them : so that 
ail the men of the tower of She- 
chem died also, about a thou- 
sand men and women. 

50 IT Then went Abimelech to 
Thebez, and encamped against 
Thebez, and took it. 

51 But there was a strong 
tower within the city, and thith- 
er tied all the men and women, 
and all they of the city, and shut 
it to them, and gat them up to 
the top of the tower. 

52 And Abimelech came unto 
the tower, and fought against it, 



the forests with which it was cover- 
ed. See Ps. 68. 15. 

50. Encamped against Thebez. A 
city of Ephraim in the neighborhood 
of Shechem, and about thirteen miles 
west from Bethshan (Scythopolis). 
According to Eusebius and Jerome, 
it continued till their time, or to 
about four hundred years after Christ, 
but at the present day it has wholly 
disappeared. 

51. J. strong tower within the city. 
Doubtless a sort of citadel such as 
exists in most considerable towns in 
western Asia, and which serves the 
people as a last retreat when the town 
is taken by an enemy, and where the 
people shut themselves up on occa- 
sions of popular tumult. In some 
parts of the East, such towers are to 
be seen in the open country, where 
the neighboring peasantry may de- 
posit their more valuable property, 
or themselves take refuge, when the 
approach of an enemy or of a plun- 
dering tribe is expected. 



136 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1206. 



and went hard unto the door of 
the tower to burn it with fire. 

53 And a certain woman 'cast 
a piece of a millstone upon Abi- 
melech's head, and all to break 
his skull. 

54 Then ra he called hastily 
unto the young man his armor- 
bearer, and said unto him, Draw 
thy sword, and slay me, that 
men say not of me, A woman 

1 2 Sam. 11. 21. m So 1 Sam. 31. 4. 

53. A piece of a millstone. Literally, 
1 a piece of a chariot-wheel,' but else- 
where applied to upper-millstones. 

HAnd all to break his skull. In near- 
ly all the copies of the English Bible 
printed in England, the verb appears 
in the past tense, ' brake,' whereas in 
all or nearly all the American edi- 
tions the word is ' break,' as in the 
text above. The former reading is 
certainly the correct one. The error 
in our editions has arisen from a mis- 
apprehension of the true meaning of 
the phrase ' all to.' According to the 
present use of language, this would 
seem rather to express intention than 
the result of action, but it really ex- 
presses the latter. 'AH to,' in many 
of the old English writers, means 
1 altogether,' ' entirely,' or as Johnson 
says, is used, ' as a particle of mere 
enforcement ;' and so doubtless it is 
used here ; q. d. ' she entirely or ut- 
terly brake his skull.' Thus in Hol- 
land's Translation of Pliny, (A. D. 
1601,) 'As for him that hath let 
Hie a dart at him, (the lion,) and yet 
missed his marke and done no hurt, 
if hee chance to catch him, he all to 
shaketh, tosseth, and turneth him, ly- 
ing along at his feet, but doth him 
no harme at all besides.' Not under- 
standing this, many copies of the 



slew him. And his young man 
thrust him through, and he died. 

55 And when the men of Is- 
rael saw that Abimelech was 
dead, they departed every man 
unto his place. 

56 IT "Thus God rendered the 
wickedness of Abimelech, which 
he did unto his father, in slay- 
ing his seventy brethren : 



d ver. 24. Job 31. 
22. 



t. 23. Prov. 



common version, have changed it to 
indicate intention, by substituting 
' break.' for ' brake.' 

51. And he died. Abimelech's de- 
vice to avoid the disgrace of perish- 
ing by the hands of a woman, avail- 
ed him little, for nearly three centu- 
ries afterwards we find his death as- 
cribed to the woman who threw the 
piece of millstone from the wall, 2 
Sam. 11. 21. 'There now lies the 
greatness of Abimelech ; on one stone 
he had slain his seventy brethren and 
now a stone slays him ; his head had 
stolen the crown of Israel, and now 
his head is smitten. O the just suc- 
cession of the revenges of God ! Gid- 
eon's ephod is punished with the 
blood of his sons ; the blood of his 
sons is shed by the procurement of 
the Shechemites; the blood of the 
Shechemites is shed by Abimelech ; 
the blood of Abimelech is spilt by a 
woman. The retaliations of God 
are sure and just, and make a more 
due pedigree than descent of nature.' 
Bp. Hall. 

56. Rendered the wickedness. Re- 
quited, recompensed the wickedness. 
Both the fratricide Abimelech and 
the unprincipled men of She. hem. 
had the iniquity visited upon them of 
which they had been guilty. Man's 



B. C. 1206.] 



CHAPTER X. 



137 



57 And all the evil of the men 
of Shechem did God render upon 
their heads : and upon them 
came ° the curse of Jotham the 
son of Jerubbaal. 

CHAPTER X. 

AND after Abimelech there 
"arose to defend Israel, To- 
la the son of Puah, the son of 
Dodo, a man of Issachar ; and 

o ver. 20. u ch. 2. 16. 

judgment may be avoided, but there 
i.s no escaping from the judgment of 
God. The recorded end of Abime- 
lech suggests the remark, (1) That 
they who thirst for blood, God will 
at last give them their own blood to 
drink. (2) The weak in God's hand 
can confound the mighty, and those 
who walk in pride, he is able to 
abase. (3) They who in life consult- 
ed only their pride and ambition, will 
usually die as they live, more solicit- 
ous that their honor should be pre- 
served on earth, than that their souls 
be saved from hell. (4) The methods 
proud men take to secure a great 
name, often only serve to perpetuate 
their infamy. 

CHAPTER X. 

1. Arose to defend. Heb. E)?i 
y^BTTlJ yakom lehoshia, arose to save 
or deliver. To sustain the office and 
act the part of a savior or deliverer, 
in case it should be necessary. They 
were now freed from the tyranny of 
Abimelech. and as far as appears en- 
joyed prevailing peace, yet they were 
siill liable to annoyance and incur- 
sions from the neighboring powers, 
and it was fitting that they should 
have a head to preside over their con- 
cerns, repressing internal discords, 
12* 



he dwelt in Shamir in mount 
Ephraim. 

2 And he judged Israel twenty 
and three years, and died, and 
was buried in Shamir. 

3 T 1 " And after him arose Jair, 
a Gileadite, and judged Israel 
twenty and two years. 

4 And he had thirty sons that 
b rode on thirty ass colts, and 
they had thirty cities, c which 

b ch. 5. 10, and 12. 14. c Deut. 3. 14. 

maintaining union, guarding against 
idolatry, and prepared at all times to 

take the field in their defence. 

X\ Dwelt in Shamir, inmount Ephraim. 
Though of the tribe of Issachar, yet 
when raised to the government, he 
came and dwelt in mount Ephraim, 
as being a more central station, one 
to which the people might more con- 
veniently resort for judgment. 

4. Thirty sons that rode on thirty 
ass colts, &.c. A very remarkable 
indication of eastern manners, and 
of the state of the times. It seems 
that the people so generally went 
about on foot, that to ride on an ass, 
that is, to ride at all, was considered 
a mark of wealth and distinction, So 
we afterwards read of Abdon, another 
judge, ch. 12. 14, that ' he had forty 
sons and thirty nephews, that rode on 
threescore and ten ass colts.' No 
doubt this conveyed to the ancient 
Hebrew's the idea of as much con- 
sideration as it does among us to say, 
that a person keeps a carriage. Jo- 
sephus, perhaps from thinking the 
indication undignified, changes the 

asses to horses. IT Thirty cities — 

called Havoth-joAr unto this day. 
Heb. ' villages of Jair.' We read 
in Num. 32 41, that 'Jair the son of 
Manasseh went and took the small 



138 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161 



are called Havoth-jair unto this 
day, which are in the land of 
Gilead. 

5 And Jair died, and was buried 
in Camon. 

6 % And d the children of Israel 
did evil again in the sight of the 
Lord, and e served Baalim, and 
Ashtaroth, and f the gods of Sy- 
ria, and the gods of "Zidon, and 
the gods of Moab, and the gods 
of the children of Amnion, and 
the gods of the Philistines, and 

d cli. 2. 11, and 3. 7, and 4. 1, and 6. 1, and 
13. 1. e ch. 2. 13. f ch. 2. 12. g 1 Kings 11. 
33. Ps. 106.36. 



towns thereof, and called them Ha- 
voth-jair,' from which some have 
supposed that the Jair there mention- 
ed is the same person with the judge 
spoken of in the passage before us. 
But the former was doubtless the an- 
cestor of the latter, though the names 
of the villages in question were re- 
tained unaltered from the original 
possessor. Their number, as we 
learn from 1 Chron. 2. 22, was at first 
only twenty-three, but the remaining 
seven were added in process of time. 
The circumstance affords evidence 
of the rank and opulence of the fa- 
mily. 

6. Did evil again. Heb. l^tP 
3>in STlllDS 1 ^ yosiphu laasoth hdra, 
added to do evil. The defection here 
mentioned was undoubtedly very 
gross and of aggravated enormity. 
They became in a sense universal 
idolators, adopting all the gods of the 
surrounding nations. They scarcely 
seemed to have admitted the God of 
Israel, as one of the many deities they 
worshipped, but to have cast him off 
altogether. ' Those that think to 
serve both God and mammon, will 



forsook the Lord, and served 
not him. 

7 And the anger of the Lord 
was hot against Israel, and he 
h sold them into the hands of the 
Philistines, and into the hands 
of the children of Amnion. 

8 And that year they vexed 
and oppressed the children of 
Israel eighteen years, all the 
children of Israel that were on 
the other side Jordan in the 
land of the Amorites, which is 
in Gilead. 

fa ch. 2. 14. 1 Sam. 12. 9. 



soon come entirely to forsake God, 
and to serve mammon only. If God 
have not all the heart he will soon 
have none of it.' Henry. 

7. And he sold them, See on ch. 2. 
14. ^Into the hands of the Philis- 
tines and — of Amnion. The one on 
the west, the other on the east ; so 
that they were grievously annoyed 
on both sides. 

8. That year they vexed and op- 
pressed the children of Israel eighteen 
years. We know not what sense to 
make of this clause as it now stands, 
which seems to bring an oppression 
of eighteen years' continuance within 
the space of one year. Probably the 
solution is to render the verbs in the 
pluperfect, 'and that year they had 
vexed and oppressed them eighteen 
years;' i. e. that year completed the 
period of eighteen years, during 
which they had proved a scourge to 
them. The oppression commenced 
during the administration of Jair, 
perhaps nearly at the same time 
with the apostasy which caused it, 
and at the time of his death, had con- 
tinued eighteen years. This last 



B. C. 1161.J 



CHAPTER X, 



139 



9 Moreover, the children of 
Amnion passed over Jordan, to 
fight also against Judah, and 
against Benjamin, and against 
the house of Ephraim : so that 
Israel was sore distressed. 

10 TF ' And the children of Israel 



apostasy commenced, is mentioned 
before ii by prolepsis or anticipation, 
than which nothing is more fre- 
quent in the sacred writers. The 
terms em ployed in the original to in- 
dicate the severity of the oppression 
are very expressive. They import 
crushing and breaking to pieces, a 
metaphor apparently drawn from the 
action of two mill-stones upon the 
substance placed between them, to 
which Henry strikingly compares 
the condition of the Israelites at this 
time under the grinding oppression 
of the two hostile powers on either 
side of them, the Ammonites and the 
Philistines. Another remark of the 
same commentator respecting this 
apostasy of Israel is well worthy of 
insertion here. ' God had appointed 
that if any of the cities of Israel 
should revolt to idolatry, the rest 
should make war upon them and cut 
them off, Deut. 13. 12, et infr. They 
had been jealous enough in this mat- 
ter, almost to an extreme, in the case 
of the altar set up by the two tribes 
and a half, Josh. 22, but now they are 
grown so very bad, that when one city 
was infected with idolatry, the next 
took the infection, and, instead of 
punishing, imitated and outdid it; 
and therefore since they that should 
have been revengers to execute wrath 
upon them that did this evil, were 
themselves guilty, or bare the sword 
in vain, God brought the neighboring 



cried unto the Lord, saying, 
We have sinned against thee, 
both because we have forsaken 
our God, and also served Baalim. 
1 1 And the Lord said unto the 
children of Israel, Did not / de- 

i 1 Sam. 12. 10. 



nations upon them to chastise them 
for their apostasy.' 

9. The children of Ammon passed 
over Jordan. The Philistines pro- 
bably harrassed the children of Israel 
in the south of Canaan, west of the 
Jordan ; and the Ammonites the two 
tribes and a half to the east of that 
river. The spirit of conquest or of 
aggression, however, soon led the lat- 
ter to cross the Jordan. It seems pro- 
bable that they rather vexed and dis- 
tressed the trans- Jordanic tribes, than 
kept them in entire subjection; and 
afterwards extended their incursions 
to the west of the Jordan. They 
were justly punished by the Amorites, 
for they had so utterly degenerated 
and conformed to their heathen neigh- 
bors, that Ezekiel, in addressing the 
Israelitish nation, ch. 16. 3, says by 
a bold figure, ' Thy father was an 
Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.' 

10. Both because we have forsaken, 
&c. They specify distinctly the two 
forms of their transgression ; first, in 
departing wickedly from God, sec- 
ondly, in serving idols. Under the 
deep impression of their guilt in this 
conduct, they made good the words 
of the prophet, Is. 26. 16, < Lord, in 
trouble have they visited thee ; they 
poured out a prayer when thy chas- 
tening was upon them.' The first 
slep of a sinner's return to God is the 
discovery of his own great guilt, and 
a sense of his deserved ruin, and this 
in order to be available must be ac- 



140 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161. 



liver you k from the Egyptians, 
and 'from the Amorites, m from 
the children of Ammon "and 
from the Philistines ? 

12 °The Zidonians also p and 
the Amalekites, and the Mao- 
nites q did oppress you ; and ye 
cried to me, and I delivered you 
out of their hand. 

13 r Yet ye have forsaken me, 
and served other gods : where- 
fore I will deliver you no more. 

k Ex. 14. 30. l Num. 21. 21, 24, 25. m ch. 
3.12,13. nch.3. 31. o C h. 5. 19. rch. 6. 
3. q Ps. 106. 42, 43. r Deut. 32. 15. Jer. 
2. 13. 



companied with the most sincere and 
penitent acknowledgment of his ag- 
gravated offences. 

11. And the Lord said, &c. In what 
manner these reproofs were conveyed 
to the Israelites, we are not informed. 
It was probably through the medium 
of some inspired prophet, or of the 
high priest, whose duty it was to 
learn the will of heaven in all trying 
emergencies. 

14. Go and cry unto the. gods which 
ye have chosen. "Which ye have not 
served upon compulsion, but which 
ye have freely and voluntarily cho- 
sen. The Most High does not turn 
away his ear from their prayers, nor 
sink them in utter despair, yet he 
sends a sharp and upbraiding answer, 
of which the immediate effect would 
be to awaken their consciences, and 
confound them under a sense of their 
baseness and ingratitude. Many a 
time they had been delivered and 
those very oppressors subdued under 
them; yet they had vilely sinned 
against their own mercies. He there- 
fore refers them for help to the gods 
whom they had served, to rebuke 
their folly and convince them of the 



14 Go and s cry unto the gods 
which ye have chosen ; let them 
deliver you in the time of your 
tribulation. 

15 TT And the children of Is- 
rael said unto the Lord, We 
have sinned : l do thou unto us 
whatsoever seemeth good unto 
thee ; deliver us only, we pray 
thee, this day. 

16 "And they put away the 
strange gods from among them, 

■ Deut. 32. 37,38. 2 Kings 3. ]3, Jer. 2.28. 
t 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2 Sam. 15. 26. a 2Chron. 
7. 14, and 15. 8. Jer. 18. 7, 8. 



weakness of these lying vanities. 
Yet the emphatic declaration, ' I will 
deliver you no more,' is to be under- 
stood conditionally, in case their idols 
were kept among them ; for the di- 
vine threatenings always imply a re- 
serve of mercy to the truly penitent. 
(1) If God appears to frown upon the 
returning sinner, let him not despair ; 
it is no more than his desert, indeed, 
if he be utterly rejected; but with the 
Lord there is mercy and forgiveness, 
and a heart of overwhelming kind- 
ness is sometimes temporarily con- 
cealed by an aspect of wrath. (2) 
When we are brought to a real sense 
of our sins, we shall see the vanity 
and insufficiency of those things to 
make us either safe or happy, in 
which we formerly trusted. 

16. They put away the strange gods. 
Heb. 153(1 M^X elohe hannekar, the 
gods of the stranger. In coming be- 
fore God not only is every excuse for 
sin to be renounced, and the plea of 
guilty, guilty, sincerely to be made, 
but if we would approve our repent- 
ance real, the sins we confess arc 
instantly to be discarded. When 
this is the case, and our transgres- 






B.C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



141 



and served the Lord : and x his 
soul was grieved for the misery 
of Israel. 

17 Then the children of Am- 
nion were gathered together, 
and encamped in Gilead. And 
the children of Israel assembled 
themselves together, and en- 
camped in y Mizpeh. 

IS And the people and princes 



^ Ps. 106. 44, 45. Isai. 63. 9. 
29- Gen. 31. 49. 



ch. 11. 11, 



sions are truly our bitterness and bur- 
den, though we may stand trembling 
under the black review, yet there is 

hope. HHis soul was grieved. Not 

that there is really any grief in God, 
for being infinitely happy in himself, 
he is inaccessible to any such emo- 
tion ; but it is spoken after the man- 
ner of men, to represent to us more 
forcibly the abounding compassions 
of his heart. He acted towards his 
people like one who felt for their 
sufferings, like a kind father, who 
cannot but be grieved over the afflic- 
tions of his children. He had pity 
upon them, restraining his severities, 
and giving anew and merciful com- 
plexion to his dispensations towards 
them. The Heb. is ' shortened, con- 
tracted, straitened;' a term express- 
ive of a state of mind the opposite of 
equanimity, long-suffering, forbear- 
ance ; implying at once a sympathy 
with suffering, and a kind of im- 
patience in redressing it. How con- 
soling the thought that no prodigal 
returns to God but his paternal heart 
yearns over him, touched with a 
feeling of his wretchedness, and 
ready to embrace the most miserable 
of sinners. 

17. The children of Amnion were 
gathered together. Heb. Ip^S" 1 yitz- 



of Gilead said one to another, 
What man is he that will begin 
to fight against the children of 
Amnion ? he shall z be head over 
all the inhabitants of Gilead ? 



CHAPTER XI. 

IVrOVV ' Jephthah the Gilead- 
-L ^ ite was b a mighty man of 
valor, and he was the son of an 

i ch. 11. 8. 11. a Heb. 11. 32, called 
J< -pinnae. b ch. 6. 12. 2 Kings 5. 1. 



tzhaku, were cried together ; were 
convened by means of criers, sent 
over the country in every direction, 
to stir up all the enemies of Israel. 

IT Encamped in Mizpeh. There 

were several places of this name, but 
as the war here described was waged 
on the east of the Jordan, the Mizpeh 
alluded to in the text was undoubt- 
edly that in the trans- Jordanic half- 
tribe of Manasseh, and of which an 
account is given, Josh. 11. 3. 

18. The people and the princes said. 

Heb. E^TiE WH haam sarim, thepeo- 

\ple, the princes said; indicating, by a 

remarkable phraseology, how closely 

related, not to say identified, were 

the people and. the rulers among these 

: eastern tribes. Though the nominal 

I distinction existed, yet the interests of 

each were so completely the same, 

that their respective denominations 

are as it were merged in each other. 

How different the spectacle presented 

by the governments of nearly every 

European nation for the last two 

thousand years, and continued to the 

present day ! IT Shall be head, &c. 

Shall not only take the conduct of 
the present war, but when the war is 
over shall, as a reward for his ser- 
vices, be continued as the governing 
head of this people. This verse 



142 JUDGES. 

and Gilead begat Jeph 



[B. C. 1161. 



harlot 
thah. 

2 And Gilead's wife bare him 
sons ; and his wife's sons grew 
up, and they thrust out Jeph- 

comes in here as an introduction to 
die following narrative. 

CHAPTER XL 
1. Now Jephthah — was a mighty j 
man of valor. More properly per- I 
haps, ' had become. 5 The original i 
i~Pn hayah, is not merely a verb of J 
existence, but denotes the transition of j 
its subject, from one state to another. 
When its meaning is simply ' is,' 
or ' was,' it is almost invariably omit- 
ted in the original. Here, however, 
it is inserted, and probably hints at 
the process by which Jephthah had 

gradually become distinguished. 

IT The son of an harlot. Heb. rtHT iTffiJft 
ishah zonah, a vjoman, a harlot. Not 
begotten in lawful wedlock. The 
Jewish commentators, for the most 
part, give a softening exposition of 
the term here employed, as if it im- 
ported merely a concubine, or a gen- 
tile, i. e. a foreign or strange woman, 
not one of the Israelitish race, as she 
is termed in v. 2. But without doing 
violence to its ordinary and most le- 
gitimate sense, we know not how to 
depart from the rendering of the text.* 
At the same time, it is to be observed, 
that our limited knowledge of the 
actual state of manners and society 
in those ancient periods, prevents us 
from affirming, that the word con- 
veys precisely the idea of public ad- 
dictedness to degrading vice, which 
its modern acceptation imports. It 
may have indicated a character some- 
what less vile and iniquitous, but the 
ambiguity of the term is not sufh- 



thah, and said unto him, Thou 
shalt not inherit in our father's 
house ; for thou art the son of a 
strange woman. 



cient to cover all disgrace in Jeph- 
thah's origin. His extraction, how- 
ever, whatever it was, was the fault 
and disgrace of his parents rather 
than of himself, and a man should 
not be reproached with the unhappi- 
ness of his birth, when his own con- 
duct bespeaks him deserving a more 

honorable relation. TT Gilead begat 

Jephthah. One of the descendants of 
the Gilead mentioned Num. 32. 1; 
Josh. 17. 1, 3, and bearing his name. 
To what tribe he belonged is not cer- 
tain, but probably that of Manasseh 
beyond the Jordan. 1 Chron. 7. 14. 
2. Gilead' s wife. His lawful wife, 
in contradistinction from Jephthah's 

mother. IT Thou shalt not inherit, 

&c. That he was not entitled to share 
in the inheritance was a matter of 
course, for even the children of the 
lawful secondary wife or concubine 
were not admitted to this privilege, 
Gen. 21. 10, and 25. 6, much less ihe 
issue of such an illicit connexion as 
that in question. But Jephthah's breth- 
ren were probably actuated by some 
secret motive of jealousy or envy, 
which -they would fain conceal by 
the plea of illegitimacy and outlawry 
here advanced ; for it does not ap- 
pear that his expulsion from his fa- 
ther's house was necessary simply on 
this account. At any rate, he evi- 
dently regarded it as a gross outrage 
upon his rights, v. 7, and one which 
the elders and magistrates of the city 
connived at and abetted. The pre- 
tence of legal right is often a mere 
cover to the foulest wrongs and in- 



B.C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



143 



3 Then Jephthah fled from his | 4 IT And it came to pass in 
brethren, and dwelt in the land \ process of time, that the child- 
of Tob : and there were gather- ren of Ammon made war against 
ed c vain men to Jephthah, and Israel, 
went out with him. 



c ch. 9. 4. 1 Sam. 22. 2. 



juries. IT Of a strange woman. 

Heb. flirts iffltii ishah a'hereth, of 
another woman. That is, other than 
his lawful wife, and probably a for- 
eigner. See on Ex. 1. 8 ; Deut. 29. 
26; Jer. 22. 26. 

3. Fled from his brethren. Heb. 
TTI5* ^:2fa mippene ahauv, from the 

face of his brethren. IT In the land 

of Tob. A region so called perhaps 
from the name of the individual who 
was its first or most distinguished in- 
habitant. Its precise locality is not 
known, but from the facility of com- 
munication it was doubtless in the 
near vicinity of Gilead. Comp. 2 

Sam. 10. 6, 8. IT Were gathered 

vain men to Jephthah, and went out 
with him. Heb. b*ntt» E^p^ rekim 
anashim, empty men ; that is, idle, 
worthless, profligate men, a lawless 
rabble. The original fp"! is a term 
of great reproach, being the same 
with ' Raca,' in the New Testament. 
The meaning evidently is, that Jeph- 
thah, being without any inheritance 
or family connexions to afford him 
a subsistence, and being expelled 
from his native place, became an ad- 
venturer, and his character having 
brought around him a number of 
brave but idle men, perhaps similarly 
circumstanced, he made predatory 
incursions into the neighboring coun- 
tries. This is what is meant by ' go- 
I ingout with him,' a phrase frequent- 
1 ly applied to warlike and plundering 
inroads upon an enemy's territory. 
Probably they went out particularly 
into the land of the Ammonites, to 



retaliate the incursions which the 
latter made into Israel ; and Jeph- 
thah's success or skill in these free- 
booting expeditions acquired him so 
much reputation, that the people 
would naturally be led to look to him 
when they wanted a military leader. 
The mode of life here indicated, is 
precisely that which was followed by 
David, when his reputation brought 
around him men of similar character 
to these followers of Jephthah. This 
kind of military robbery is far from 
being considered dishonorable in the 
East. On the contrary, the fame thus 
acquired is thought as fair as any 
that can be obtained through any 
class of military operations. An 
Arab or Tartar desires no higher or 
brighter distinction than that of a 
successful military robber : and to 
make that fame unsullied, it is only 
necessary that his expedition should 
not be against his own nation or tribe. 
4. The children of Ammon made 
war against Israel. Or, perhaps 
more properly, ' had made war,' and 
were now encamped in Gilead. We 
are here carried back in point of 
time to the period mentioned ch. 10. 
17, the historian having returned 
from his digresssion concerning the 
parentage and early life of Jephthah. 
The words ' in process of time,' 
Heb. ' after days,' probably refer to 
the period immediately antecedent 
to the expulsion of Jephthah. Many 
days after he had been thrust out in 
disgrace, he was brought back again 
with honor. 



144 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161 



5 And it was so, that when the 
children of Amnion made war 
against Israel, the elders of 
Gilead went to fetch Jephthah 
out of the land of Tob : 

6 And they said unto Jephthah, 
Come, and be our captain, that 
we may fight with the children 
of Ammon. 

7 And Jephthah said unto the 
elders of Gilead, d Did not ye 

d Gen. 26. 27. 

5. Went to fetch JephtJcah. Heb. 
rinpjD lakahath, to take; that is, to 
persuade to go. See Note on Josh. 
24. 3, and on Gen. 2. 15. This was 
undoubtedly wiih the approbation, 
if not with the express direction of 
Jehovah. 

G. Come, and be our captain. The 
manner in which God overrules the 
ill-meant actions of men to the fur- 
therance of his designs is here very 
observable. If Jephthah hadnotbeen, 
as he was, the object of his brethren's 
unkindness, he had lost the opportu- 
nity to exercise and improve his mar- 
tial genius, and so failed to signalize 
himself in the eyes of his country- 
men. So it often happens that the 
providences which are, to appear- 
ance, our greatest misfortune, are 
necessary to fit us for the work for 
which God designs us. 

7. Did ye not hate me and expel me, 
&c. Though the act of his expul- 
sion was primarily that of Jephthah's 
brethren, yet these elders had either 
actively aided in it, or by forbearing 
to prevent or punish the injury, had 
virtually made themselves partakers 
in the guilt of it ; and with this he 
plainly charges them. ' Magistrates 
that have power to protect those that 
are injured, if they do not do them 



hate me, and expel me out of 
my father's house ? and why are 
ye come unto me now when ye 
are in distress ? 

8 e And the elders of Gilead 
said unto Jephthah, Therefore 
we f turn again to thee now, that 
thou mayest go with us, and 
fight against the children of Am- 
mon, and be g our head over all 
the inhabitants of Gilead. 

e ch. 10. 18. f Luke 17. 4. B ch. 10. 18. 



right, really do them wrong.' Henry. 

IT Why are ye come unto me now 

when ye are in distress? Not that 
Jephthah was unwilling to save his 
country, but he thought fit to give 
them a hint of their former unkind- 
ness, that they might repent of it, and 
in future be more sensible of their 
obligations. Thus Joseph humbled 
his brethren before he made himseli 
known to them. The same language 
too may be applied by Christ to im- 
penitent sinners, who after doing what 
in them lies to expel the Saviour from 
his inheritance in their own hearts, 
in the church, and in the world, still 
fly to him and supplicate him for 
succor in the day of their distress. 

8. Therefore we turn again unto 
thee. This cannot be meant of a 
local turning or returning to Jephthah, 
for the words were obviously spoken 
at the first interview, from which 
they had not yet retired. The phrase 
doubtless has reference to a change 
of mind, a turning again in the state 
of their feelings towards him. It is 
as if they had said, ' We are con- 
vinced that we have done thee wrong, 
and that thou hast just ground of 
complaint; but we renounce the feel- 
ings we have formerly cherished, 
and we now come to acknowledge 



B. C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



145 



9 And Jephthah said unto the 
elders of Gilead, If ye bring rne 
home again to fight against the 
children of Amnion, and the 
Lord deliver them before me, 
shall I be your head ? 



our fault and to make thee full repa- 
ration. As a proof of our sincerity 
we proffer thee this honor, which 
shall counterbalance the dishonor 
we have put upon thee.' The incident 
may serve to remind us, (1) That 
the least we can do when we have 
injured a fellow-being, is to confess 
frankly our wrong, and ask his par- 
don. (2) That we should beware 
of despising or trampling upon any 
man, so as to make him our enemy, 
for we know not how much need we 
may have of his friendship and ser- 
vices before we die. (3) That men 
of worth who are undervalued, dis- 
paraged, and ill-treated, should bear 
it with meekness and cheerfulness, 
leaving it to God to vindicate their 
good name in his own way. Their 
judgment shall finally come forth 
as the noon-day. 

9. If ye bring me home again. If 
ye recal me from the place where I 
am now fixed, to the place from 

whence I was expelled. IT Shall I 

be your head? Not only your leader 
in this war, but permanent judge and 
chief magistrate. Having to. deal 
with persons whom he had reason 
to distrust, he determines to bind 
them to their compact by the most 
unequivocal assurances. ' Jephthah's 
wisdom had not been answerable to 
his valor, if he had not made his match 
beforehand. He bargains therefore 
for his sovereignty ere he wins it.' 
Bp. Hall. In all our agreements it 
is well to be explicit and solemn, that 
13 



10 And the elders of Gilead 
said unto Jephthah, h The Lord 
be witness between us, if we do 
not so according to thy words. 

11 Then Jephthah went with 

b Jer. 42. 5. 



afterwards there may be no room for 
subterfuge or evasion. As the ser- 
vice before him was one in which he 
would naturally endanger his life, he 
deems it right that he should be duly 
rewarded, especially as he seems to 
have thought it was only in this way 
that he could effectually secure him- 
self against the treacherous designs 
of his brethren, whose ill will and 
injuries he had once experienced. 
That there might also have been 
some tincture of ambition insinuat- 
ing itself into his motives, is perhaps 
not improbable. The spirit of pious 
dependence, however, on the divine 
blessing, argues strongly in favor of 
his general spirit. He does not speak 
with confidence of his success, but 
qualifies it with a peradventure — ' if 
the Lord deliver them before me,' — 
as if intending to remind his coun- 
trymen, to look up to God, as he him- 
self did, as the giver of victory. 

10. The Lord be witness between us. 
Heb. I^man ymD shomaa benothenu, 
be the hearer between us. They con- 
firm their promise by the solemnity 
of an oath, appealing to God's om- 
niscience as the judge of their pre- 
sent sincerity, and to his justice as an 
avenger, if they should afterwards 
prove false to their engagements. 
' Whatever we speak, it concerns us 
to remember that God is a hearer, 
and to speak accordingly.' Henry. 

11. Then Jephthah went with the 
elders. Thus evincing a generous 
forgetfulness of all their previous 



146 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143, 



the elders of Gilead, and the 
people made him I head and cap- 
tain over them : and Jephthah 
uttered all his words k before the 
Lord in Mizpeh. 
12 IT And Jephthah sent mes- 

i ver. 8. k ch. 10. 17, and 20. 1. 1 Sam. 
10. 17, and 11. 15. 



wrongs and indignities. No injuries 
should make us implacable ; we must 
forgive as we hope to be forgiven. 

IT And Jephthah uttered all his 

words before the Lord in Mizpeh. Or, 
Heb. 'for Jephthah uttered all his 
words,' &c. That is, all the words 
pertaining to the solemn compact 
which had now been entered into. 
The words seem to be inserted to 
explain how it was that the people, as 
affirmed in the preceding clause, 
made him head and captain over 
them. The arrangement had first 
been concluded upon at Gilead be- 
tween Jephthah and the elders. But 
this was not sufficient. He would 
have it solemnly repeated and ratified 
after entering the camp at Mizpeh, 
between himself and the whole as- 
sembled congregation. In order to 
give it the utmost validity, and pre- 
clude all future misunderstanding, 
the people must confirm the act by 
their own choice, and this is said to 
have been done 'before the Lord,' to 
indicate the religious and solemn 
manner in which the transaction was 
conducted, as if under his immediate 
inspection and sanction. See on 
Josh. 4. 13. 

12. Jephthah sent messengers, &c. 
A measure in the highest degree 
honorable to the equity, prudence, 
and piety of Jephthah, who herein 
conformed to the rule of conduct 
prescribed by Moses, Deut.20. 10-18, 



sengers unto the king of the 
children of Ammon, saying, 
What hast thou to do with me, 
that thou art come against me 
to fight in my land ? 

13 And the king of the child- 
ren of Ammon answered unto 
the messengers of Jephthah, 



which was, not to make war with 
nations out of Canaan, till messen- 
gers had been sent with proposals of 
peace. Though a mighty man of 
valor, yet he delighted not in war for 
its own sake, and was desirous, if 
possible, to prevent the effusion of 
blood by a peaceable accommodation. 
How vastly different this from the 
spirit of most military chieftains ! 
They are glad to seize upon any, 
even the slightest pretexts for an ap- 
peal to arms. But here, though the 
newly elected captain of Israel 
might, perhaps, have been justified in 
repelling force by force without any 
preliminary negotiations, yet if he 
can, by showing them the injustice 
of their conduct, persuade the in- 
vaders to retire, he will not compel 
them by the sword. If the children 
of Ammon could convince him that 
Israel had done them wrong, he was 
ready to restore the rights of the 
Ammonites ; if not, it was plain by 
their invasion that they did Israel 
wrong, and he should by no means 
submit to it. This, though in an Is- 
raelite, was acting under the influ- 
ence of that religion which teaches 
us to follow peace with all men, and 
never to seek redress by forcible 
means till every fair proposal is re- 
jected. TT What hast thou to do 

with 7)ie. that thou contest against me, 
&c. Spoken thus in the first person, 
in the name both of God and of Israel. 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



147 



'Because Israel took away my 
land, when they came up out 
of Egypt, from Arnon even unto 
m Jabbok, and unto Jordan : now 
therefore restore those lands 
again peaceably. 

14 And Jephthah sent mes- 
sengers again unto the king of 
the children of Amnion : 

15 And said unto him, Thus 
saith Jephthah, "Israel took not 



l Num. 21. 24, 25, 26. 
d Deut. 2. 9, 19. 



Gen. 32. 22. 



13. Because Israel took away, &c. 
One who seeks a pretext for a quar- 
rel will never be at a loss to find one ; 
yet it speaks much in favor of the 
general peaceableness and inoffen- 
siveness of Israel towards their 
neighbors, that their enemies, when 
intent upon hostilities against them, 
are obliged to look three hundred 
years back for a specious occasion. 
If the Ammonites had been con- 
scious of a valid claim, their demand 
should have been published before 
invading Israel. But we have no 
intimation of this, and the claim now 
preferred was evidently trumped up 
to serve the present occasion, as 
affording a colorable pretence of jus- 
tice in the invasion ; showing that 
they who are destitute of conscience 
and honesty, are often very unwilling 
to appear so. Jephthah, however, in 
what follows, stripped their conduct 
of its specious disguise, and showed 
conclusively how false and arrogant 

were their pretensions. T\My land. 

Speaking in the name both of the 
children of Ammon and Moab, over 
whom unitedly he seems, at this time, 
to have reigned as king. 

15. Israel took not av:aij, &c. In 
order to evince beyond dispute, the 



away the land of the children 
of Ammon : 

16 But when Israel came up 
from Egypt, and "walked through 
the wilderness unto the Red sea, 
and p came to Kadesh ; 

17 Then q Israel sent messen- 
gers unto the king of Edom, 
saying, Let me, I pray thee, 
pass through thy land : r but the 

o Num. 14. 25. Deut. 1. 40. Josh. 5. 6. 
P Num. 13. 26, and 20. 1. Deut. 1. 46. q Num. 
20. 14. r Num. 20. 18, 21. 



falsehood and futility of the enemy's 
claims upon these lands, Jephthah 
goes into a recapitulation of the lead- 
ing circumstances of Israel's coming 
into possession of them. He admits 
that they had indeed taken the terri- 
tories in question, but they took them 
not from the Ammonites or Moab- 
ites, whom they were expressly for- 
bidden to molest on their march, but 
finding them in possession of Sihon, 
king of the Amorites, they took them 
from him in just and honorable war- 
fare,, in consequence of an unpro- 
voked attack upon them. It might, 
indeed, be true, that prior to Israel's 
arrival in the country, the Amorites 
had taken these lands from the Moab- 
ites or Ammonites, Num. 21. 26; 
Josh. 13. 25. but this was no concern 
of theirs, nor were they bound to re- 
cognize the previous title of any peo- 
ple whatever. This was his first 
plea in support of his claims, which 
extends to v. 22. 

17. Then Israel sent messengers, &c. 
So far were they from offering the 
least violence to the children of Esau 
or of Lot, that when refused a pas- 
sage through their countries, though 
able, if they had chosen it, to have 
opened their way by force, they ra- 



148 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



king of Edom would not heark- 
en thereto. And in like manner 
they sent unto the king of Moab ; 
but he would not consent. And 
Israel s abode in Kadesh. 

18 Then they went along 
through the wilderness, and 
* compassed the land of Edom, 
and the land of Moab, and 
u came by the east side of the 
land of Moab, x and pitched on 
the other side of Arnon, but 
came not within the border of 
Moab : for Arnon was the bor- 
der of Moab. 

19 And y Israel sent messen- 
gers unto Sihon king of the 
Amorites, the king of Heshbon ; 
and Israel said unto him, z Let 
us pass, we pray thee, through 
thy land unto my place. 

s Num. 20. 1. t Num. 21. 4. Deut. 2. 1-8. 
u Num. 21. 11. x Num. 21. 13, and 22. 36. 
y Num. 21. 21. Deut. 2. 26. z Num. 21. 22. 
Deut. 2. 27. 

ther underwent the fatigue of a long 
march to compass their territories, 
than to set a foot upon them, much 
less to seize them for their own use. 

IT In like manner they sent unto 

the king of Moab. Of this deputation , 
however, the history no where else 
gives us any account. 

20. Trusted not Israel to pass 
through his coast. That is, through 
his dominions ; as also, v. 22. The 
word signifies not only the borders 
of a country, but the territory includ- 
ed in them. Those who are them- 
selves conscious of a disposition to 
oppress the weak, and take undue 
advantages of the simple, will gen- 
erally give others credit for being 
actuated by the same spirit, and con- 
sequently withhold their confidence 
in circumstances where they are 



20 a But Sihon trusted not Is- 
rael to pass through his coast : 
but Sihon gathered all his peo- 
ple together, and pitched in Ja- 
haz, and fought against Israel. 

21 And the Lord God of Israel 
delivered Sihon and all his peo- 
ple into the hand of Israel, and 
they b smote them: so Israel 
possessed all the land of the 
Amorites, the inhabitants of that 
country. 

22 And they possessed c all the 
coasts of the Amorites, from 
Arnon even unto Jabbok, and 
from the wilderness even unto 
Jordan. 

23 So now the Lord God of 
Israel hath dispossessed the 
Amorites from before his people 
Israel, and shouldest thou pos- 
sess it ? 

a Num. 21. 23. Deut. 2. 32. b Num. 21. 
24, 25. Deut. 2. 33, 34. c Deut. 2. 36. 



sensible they could not be confided 
in themselves. 

23. The Lord God of Israel hath 
dispossessed the Amorites. Another 
branch of Jephthah's argument in 
proof of Israel's right to the land. 
God gave them the country by giv- 
ing them the victory over him who 
possessed it. The great Proprietor 
of the earth, the King of nations, be- 
stowed it upon them by an express 
and particular conveyance, such as 
vested in them a title that none could 
gainsay, Deut. 2. 24, ' I have given 
into thy hand Sihon and his land.' 

*fi Shouldest thou possess it ? Heb. 

i l^^lTl tirashennu, shouldest thou, in- 
herit him ; i. e. the Amorite ; the na- 
tion, according to Heb. idiom, being 
taken for the country which it occu- 
pied. He appeals to them whether 



B. U. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XL 



149 



24 Wilt not thou possess that 
which d Chemosh thy god giveth 
thee to possess ? So whomso- 
ever e the Lord our God shall 
drive out from before us, them 
will we possess. 

a Num. 21. 29. 1 Kings 11. 7. Jer. 48. 7. 
e Deut. 9. 4, 5, and 18. 12. Josh. 3. 10. 



they could suppose that God had giv- 
en them the land in such an extraor- 
dinary manner, merely in order that 
they should restore it again to the 
Ammonites or Moabites. 

24. Wilt thou not possess tJiat which 
Chemosh thy god giveth thee ? With- 
out really attributing any divinity to 
the Ammonitish idol, Jephthah here 
argues with them on their own ad- 
mitted principles. ' It is a maxim 
with you, as among all nations, that 
the lands which they conceive to be 
given by their gods, they have an 
absolute right to, and should not re- 
linquish to any claimant whatever. 
You suppose that the land which 
you possess was given by your god 
Chemosh, and therefore you will 
not relinquish what you believe you 
hold by a divine right. In like man- 
ner we are, fully assured that Jeho- 
vah our God, who is Lord of heaven 
and earth, has given the Israelites 
the land of the Amorites ; and there- 
fore we will not give it up.' The 
ground of Jephthah's remonstrance 
was evidently sound and impregna- 
ble. IT T/tem will we possess. Heb. 

tm ItlTB otho nirash, him will v:e 
inherit; i. e. his or their land; as 
above, v. 23. 

25. Art thou any better than Balak ? 
That is, probably not morally better, 
but hast thou any better title 1 Yet 
Balak, who was then king of Moab, 
from whom the greatest part of these 
lands had been taken by the Amor- 

13* 



25 And now art thou any thing 
better than f Balak the son of 
Zippor king of Moab ? did he 
ever strive against Israel, or did 
he ever fight against them, 

26 While Israel dwelt in 

f Num. 22. 2. See Josh. 24. 9. 



ites, who had most interest in the 
matter, and was best able to enforce 
his claim, if he had thought fit— Balak 
did noi; once object to our settlement 
then, nor offer to molest us in the en- 
joyment of our possessions. If he 
then acquiesced in this disposition of 
the lands, if the title of Israel had 
not been disputed upon their first en- 
trance upon them, what grounds had 
the Ammonites to do it now % They 
had possessed the country quietly for 
three hundred years, and even though 
; their title had been less clear at first, 
yet seeing no claim had been made 
during that long period of time, they 
had obtained a right by prescription, 
which the law of nations would clear- 
ly have acknowledged. A title so 
long unquestioned was to be presum- 
ed to be unquestionable. The fol- 
lowing therefore is the sum of Jeph- 
thah's argument relative to the matter 
in dispute, (lj The Ammonites had 
lost their lands in their contests with 
the Amorites. (2) The Israelites 
conquered these lands from the 
Amorites, who had waged an un- 
principled war against them. (3) 
God, the Maker, Proprietor, and 
Disposer of heaven and earth, had 
given these lands by special grant to 
the Israelites. (4) In consequence 
of this, they had had possession of 
them for upwards of three hundred 
years. (5) These lands were never 
reclaimed by the Ammonites, though 
they had repeated opportunities to do 



150 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



g Heshbon and her towns, and 
in h Aroer and her towns, and in 
all the cities that be along by the 
coasts of Arnon, three hundred 
years ? why therefore did ye not 
recover them within that time ? 

27 Wherefore I have not sin- 
ned against thee, but thou doest 
me wrong to war against me : 
the Lord 'the Judge k be judge 
this day between the children 
of Israel and the children of 
Ammon. 

g Num. 21. 25. h Deut. 2. 36. i Gen. 18. 
25. k Gen. 16. 5, and 31. 53. 1 Sam. 24. 12, 15. 



it, whilst the Israelites dwelt in Hesh- 
bon, in Aroer, and the coasts of Ar- 
non ; but they did not reclaim them, 
because they knew the Israelites held 
them legally. Consequently every 
subsequent claim was effectually- 
barred, and the present pretensions 
of Ammon were unsupported and 
unjustifiable. 

27. The Lord, the Judge, be judge 
this day. Not by pronouncing sen- 
tence verbally, like human judges, 
but by awarding the victory to the 
side which he sees to be in the right. 
In this way he leaves the controversy 
to be decided. When we have just- 
ice and truth on our side, we may 
confidently appeal to the God of 
truth for a decision in our favor. 

29. The Spirit of the Lord came 
upon him. Endowing him in an ex- 
traordinary manner for the work be- 
fore him, and thus giving him con- 
vincing testimony that his cause was 

good. IT Passed over Gilead, &c. 

Or, Heb. ' passed through ;' i. e. for 
the purpose of collecting recruits 
and increasing his forces to the ut- 
most. 

30. Jephthah vowed a vow, &c. 



28 Howbeit the king of the 
children of Ammon hearkened 
not unto the words of Jephthah 
which he sent him. 

29 IT Then 'the Spirit of the 
Lord came upon Jephthah, and 
he passed over Gilead, and Ma- 
nasseh, and passed over Mizpeh 
of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of 
Gilead he passed over unto the 
children of Ammon. 

30 And Jephthah m vowed a 
vow unto the Lord, and said, 

l ch. 3. 10. m Gen. 28. 20. 1 Sam. 1. 11. 



Vows were very common under the 
Mosaic dispensation. They were 
even encouraged by God himself, in 
order that his people might have op- 
portunities of manifesting the love 
that was in their hearts by offerings 
that were not enjoined, and services 
that were not commanded. In cases 
of difficulty or distress, where it ap- 
peared of more than ordinary im- 
portance to secure the divine favor 
and protection, the patriarchs of old 
had resorted to vows, and bound 
themselves, in case he should vouch- 
safe to them the desired blessing, to 
render unto him according to the 
benefits he should confer upon them. 
Thus Jacob, when he had just left 
his father and family in order to 
seek in a foreign land a refuge from 
his brother's vengeance, vowed, that 
if the Lord would be with him and 
restore him to his home in peace, he 
would take God entirely for his God, 
and devote to him a tenth of all that 
he should possess, Gen. 28. 20-22. 
In the time of Moses the whole peo- 
ple resorted to the same measure, in 
order to obtain success against the 
Canaanites, Num. 21. 2. This, it 






B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XL 



151 



If thou shalt without fail deliver 



must be confessed, has a legal ap- 
pearance, and looks like offering to 
make a bargain with God; but vows 
may certainly be made in perfect 
consistency with the liberal spirit of 
the Gospel ; for it is intimated that 
under the Gospel, yea even in the so 
termed millennial age. such a prac- 
tice should obtain, Is. 19. 21, and we 
know that Paul both made a row 
himself. Acts 18. 18, and united with 
others in services to which, by a 
voluntary engagement, they had 
bound themselves. It is, however, 
to be remarked, that a vow, to be ac- 
ceptable to God, must "have respect 
to things in themselves lawful. It 
cannot cancel a former obligation, or 
superinduce one that is repugnant to 
it. All our obligations to obedience 
proceed from God. He has a supreme 
right to give laws to his creatures; 
but if men. by entering into vows, 
could free themselves from the obli- 
gation of his laws, they might then, 
whenever they pleased, by their own 
act defeat his authority. Whatever 
therefore is in itself forbidden by 
God, and for that reason unlawful, 
cannot, by being made the matter of 
a vow. become justifiable. So that 
he who has vowed to do what cannot 
be done without sin, is so far from 
being obliged to perform his vow, 
that he is, notwithstanding his vow, 
obliged not to perform it; the origi- 
nal wrong of making such a vow 
being greatly aggravated by keeping 
it. Now in applying these remarks 
to the case of Jephthah, nothing is 
clearer than that human sacrifices 
were ever an abomination to the 
Lord, and that he had again and 



the children of Ammon into my 
hands, 

again interdicted them, with the 
strongest expressions of abhorrence 
and reprobation. Deut. 12. 31. In- 
deed it was one of the grand reasons 
assigned for driving out the Canaan- 
ites, that they were in the habit of 
offering their sons and daughters to 
Moloch in the fire. i. e. of making- 
burnt offerings of them, as is reasona- 
bly to be inferred. It cannot be doubt- 
ed, therefore, that if Jephthah really 
vowed such an offering to the Lord, 
it was utterly unlawful for him to 
perform it. His duly would have 
been to humble himself before God, 
and deeply repent of having enter- 
tained for a moment such a criminal 
purpose. But the intrinsic character 
of such a vow, supposing Jephthah 
made it, is one thing, and its moral 
quality as issuing from a mind, in 
such a stale as his then ieas, is another. 
The vow itself may have been un- 
lawful, and yet in making it he may 
not have been aware of its real na- 
ture. Though his motives may have 
been devout, and in a measure ac- 
ceptable to heaven, yet he may have 
uttered it in great darkness and ig- 
norance. Let the circumstances of 
his case be considered. Let it be 
borne in mind that he was born in a 
loose and degenerate period of the 
Israelitish nation, and that he was 
bred up beyond Jordan, far from the 
tabernacle, and in the near neighbor- 
hood of heathen tribes, with whose 
idolatrous practices he would natu- 
rally become familiar. Under these 
circumstances, in a foreign land, and 
associated with a band of outlaws 
and freebooters who lived by rapine 
and violence, is it to be wondered at 



152 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



that he should, previous to his ap- 
pointment as a leader of Israel, have 
sunk into a state of semi-paganism 
from which he had by no means re- 
covered, even at the time of his sig- 
nal victory over the Ammonites 1 
And in this benighted state, is it not 
easily conceivable that he might have 
thought to propitiate Jehovah by such 
a kind of offering as was sometimes 
presented by heathen worshippers, 
especially if we suppose he was fur- 
ther influenced by some confused re- 
collections of Abraham's intended 
sacrifice of Isaac by divine command? 
Would it be unnatural for a man 
thus imperfectly instructed, on the 
eve of an important battle, in an ex- 
cited state of mind, and under the 
promptings of a blind zeal, to bind 
himself, on condition of his success, 
to evince his gratitude by what he 
conceived a heroical and almost su- 
perhuman act of devotion % To us 
there is nothing violent or forced in 
the supposition ; nothing inconsistent 
with the general tenor of the narra- 
tive ; and in forming a correct esti- 
mate of his conduct on the occasion, 
it is exceedingly important, if possi- 
ble, to ascertain the real state of mind 
by ivhich it was prompted ; for it is 
only in this, that we can find an ade- 
quate clew to the right interpretation 
of his vow. Before entering, how- 
ever, upon the more particular ex- 
plication of this, it may be well to ad- 
vert for a moment to the different 
kinds of vows in use among the Jews, 
and determine, if possible, to what 
class of them this of Jephthah pro- 
perly belonged. 

Of these the most important was 
the 'herem (IDIH), which was accom- 
panied by an execration, and answered 
to the anathema of the Septuagint and 



the Greek Testament. The person 
or thing thus vowed unto the Lord, 
was said to be ' devoted ' to him, and 
could not be redeemed, Lev. 27. 28. 
When it respected persons, or ani- 
mals of any kind, it implied that 
they were devoted to destruction ; but 
when it respected things, it implied 
that they were either to be utterly 
consumed by fire, or to be irrevocably 
dedicated to the Lord fo? religious 
purposes. In its application to per- 
sons it seems to have been uttered by 
public authority and to have been 
restricted to heathen, aliens, and ene- 
mies of God, as the Amalekites, Ca- 
naanites, &c, Judg. 1. 17 ; Num. 21. 
1-3, nor do we any where read that 
a father or a master of a family was 
ever. authorised thus to anathematize, 
execrate, or devote to destruction one 
of his own household. The utter de- 
struction of Jericho with all that it 
contained, excepting Rahab, affords 
a striking example of the ''herem. Its 
grand feature was, that in no case 
could its objects, whether persons or 
things, be properly redeemed from 
the use, condition, or destiny to which 
they had been devoted. In this re- 
spect it differed from a second and 
milder kind of vow, usually termed 
neder ("1113), by which one engaged 
to perform some particular act of pie- 
ty, as for instance, to bring an offer- 
ing to God, or otherwise to dedicate 
any thing to him. The objects of 
this kind of vow were various, as 
clean or unclean beasts, lands, the 
tithes of lands, houses, and the person 
of the vower himself; of all which 
we have a detailed account, Lev. 27. 
These various objects, with the sin- 
gle exception of clean beasts, might 
be redeemed at the rate, and on the 
conditions specified in that chapter. 



B.C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



153 



31 Then it shall be, that what- 
soever cometh forth of the doors 

Now it is supposed by many critics 
that the vow of Jephthah is to he 
classed under this head. The sacred 
writer in speaking of it says, "ITI 
"Vfl vayiddar neder, and he vowed a 
neder, not a 'herem, and consequent- 
ly, they say, it was such a vow as he 
might have redeemed by paying the 
prescribed ransom of thirty shekels, 
which was the fixed estimation for a 
female, Lev. 27. 4. But to this it is 
replied by Rosenmuller, that the 
terms nadar, to vow, and neder, a 
vow, are generic, comprehending both 
the redeemable and irredeemable 
class of vows. In proof of this he 
cites Num. 21. 2, where immediately 
after the words, ' And Israel voiced a 
vow ("113 IT 1 "!) unto the Lord,' &c, 
it is added, ' then I will utterly destroy 
•^Waim ha'haramli, their cities,' from 
which it plainly appears that the 'he- 
rein may be comprised under the ne- 
der, though every neder was not a 
^herem. As therefore the words alone 
do not enable us to determine satis- 
factorily the nature of the vow, it 
must be gathered from the circum- 
stances. For ourselves, after an at- 
tentive consideration of all the inci- 
dents connected with the transaction, 
we are brought to the conclusion, 
that as far as Jephthah in making the 
vow had any statute of the divine 
law in his mind, it was rather that 
of the 'herein, than of the simple 
neder; that his predominant idea 
was that of the irrevocable devotement 
to death of the object contemplated in 
his vow. But after all, it may well 
be doubled, whether Jephthah had 
his eye upon any particular precept 
or provision of the Mosaic code. For 



of my house to meet me, when 
I return in peace from the child- 



the reason before mentioned, we ima- 
gine his acquaintance with the law 
was extremely limited ; that the dis- 
tinction between the different classes 
of vows was a matter of which he 
had little or no conception ; and that 
he was prompted at the moment far 
more by a superstitious impulse, than 
by a zeal according to knowledge. 
He knew in the gross that vows were 
recognised in the religious institutes 
of his people ; that there was such a 
thing as a person's being devoted 
without redemption to God ; and that 
such a vow, when taken, was sacred- 
ly binding; and this we conceive 
was about the sum of his knowledge 
on the subject. Possessing then this 
very partial degree of light, and ac- 
tuated by an intense solicitude as to 
the result of the engagement, he 
seems to have rushed precipitately 
into the assumption of a vow, which 
proved a fearful snare to his soul. 
That he became, however, subse- 
quently more enlightened as to the 
import of the vow, and discovered a 
mode of dispensation from the literal 
execution of it, we shall endeavor to 
show in the sequel. But we are 
treating, at present, solely of his in- 
tention at the time, which, if we mis- 
take not, was just that which the 
reader would naturally apprehend 
from the simple letter of the text. 
This we trust will be still more 
clearly illustrated in the Notes that 
follow. 

31. Whatsoever cometh forth. Or, 
Heb. ^32^ lEJa asher yetze, whoso- 
ever cometh forth. The rendering 
given to these words will no doubt 
be governed in a great measure by 



154 JUDGES. [B. C. 1143. 

ren of Ammon, "shall surely be the Lord's, °and I will offer it 

up for a burnt-offering. 



n See Lev. 27. 2, 3, &c. 1 Sam. 1. 11 
and 2. 18. 



the translator's views of the real na- 
ture of the vow uttered on this occa- 
sion ; as whether it had reference 
primarily to a human being or a 
brute animal. To us the former ap- 
pears decidedly the most probable. 
Admitting that the Heb. K2"pn ha- 
yotze\ which cometh forth, may ap- 
ply equally to men or animals, yet 
the phrase, ' cometh forth to meet,' 
seems to imply an intelligent act. a 
coming forth with a design, which 
could scarcely be predicated of any 
but a human being. Sheep, bullocks, 
and other animals fit to be offered in 
sacrifice, are usually enclosed in 
pastures and stalls, and could not be 
expected to come out to meet him. 
How unlikely, then, was it that any 
of the animals allowed for sacri- 
fice should come forth from ' the 
doors of his house ;' to say nothing 
of the probability that a dog or some 
unclean animal might meet him, 
which could neither lawfully be con- 
secrated to the Lord, nor offered as a 

burnt sacrifice. IT Shall surely be 

the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a 
burnt offering. As much depends, 
in forming a judgment of the real 
character of Jephthah's vow, upon 
the correct explication of the terms 
in w T hich it was made, it will be pro- 
per here to advert to the leading opin- 
ions of commentators on this point. 
These may be ascertained from the 
four following proposed modes of 
rendering, each of which has had its 
zealous advocates, whose collective 
treatises on the subject would amount 
to several volumes. 

(1) The first is that given above ; 



Ps. 66. 13. See Lev. 27. 11, 12. 



' Whosoever cometh out of the doors 
of my house to meet me, when I re- 
turn from the children of Ammon, 
shall be the Lord's, and I will offer 
him up for a burnt offering.' 

(2) The second is that adopted in 
the text of our common English 
Bibles ; — ' Whatsoever cometh out of 
the doors of my house, &c, shall be 
the Lord's, and I will offer it up for 
a burnt offering.' 

(3) The third is that given in the 
margin of the English Bible ; — 
' Whatsoever cometh out of the doors 
of my house, &c, shall be the Lord's, 
or I will offer it up for a burnt offer- 
ing.' 

(4) The fourth was proposed about 
sixty years since by Dr. Randolph, 
and is this ; — ' Whosoever cometh 
out of the doors of my house, &c., 
shall be the Lord's, and I will offer 
(to) Him (viz. the Lord) a burnt of- 
fering.' 

Of these, the first is that adopted 
by the Septuagint and Vulgate ver- 
sions, and is undoubtedly the sense 
which the words of the original, if 
viewed in themselves, apart from any 
moral considerations, do most natu- 
rally present. That this rendering 
supposes Jephthah to have had a hu- 
man sacrifice in his thoughts when 
he made the vow, is undeniably true, 
and without doing violence to the 
letter we know not how to avoid this 
conclusion. We are aware that it 
is objected to this, that Jephthah was 
at this time undoubtedly a pious 
man, for it is said in the immediate 
connexion, that he was under the 
influence of the Spirit of God, and it 



B.C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



155 



cannot be supposed that such a man, 
under such an influence, could deli- 
berately vow to God that he would 
commit murder — that he would vow 
to put to death the first person who 
should come forth to congratulate 
him, whether it might be man, wo- 
man, or child, yea, even if it should 
be his own, his only daughter. But 
to say nothing of the impropriety 
of applying the invidious term mur- 
der to Jephthah's intention, we do not 
think much stress can be laid upon 
the fact of his being said to be at this 
time under the influence of the Spi- 
rit of God, for it does not appear 
that this phrase, as used by the Old 
Testament writers, indicates by any 
means such a kind of influence as is 
intended in the New Testament by 
one's being led, prompted, governed 
by the Holy Spirit. In the latter 
case it denotes mainly a moral, spi- 
ritual, sanctifying influence ; in the 
former, it simply implies the di- 
vine bestowment of remarkable gifts, 
whether physical or intellectual, for 
the performance of a particular work, 
or the discharge of a particular 
office. The endowments indicated 
by it were seated rather in the head 
and the body, than in the heart, so 
that taken by itself it affords us no 
clew to the moral character or actions 
of the subject of it. A similar train 
of remark is applicable also to an- 
other objection urged on the ground 
of Jephthah's being enrolled by Paul, 
in the eleventh of Hebrews, among 
the eminent men who had obtained 
a good report through faith. This 
is supposed to afford conclusive 
proof that he was a good man, and 
therefore that he could not have been 
guilty of a conduct so contrary to the 
divine law. But it is extremely 



doubtful whether the faith celebrated 
in that chapter, was in every instance 
a justifying and saving faith, in re- 
lation to the individuals mentioned. 
The apostle's object seems to be mere- 
ly to illustrate the power of a firm 
belief in the divine testimony, which 
may doubtless exist separate from a 
renewed heart. "We learn elsewhere, 
from the same authority, that a man 
might have the faith of miracles so 
as to remove mountains, and yet not 
be a good man. We do not affirm 
that Jephthah was not a good man, 
yet we derive no absolute assurance 
from the simple fact of his putting a 
strong faith in the divine promises^ 
that he was an eminent saint, and 
incapable of making such a vow as 
we have supposed above. The ob- 
jections, therefore, drawn from these 
sources against the interpretation 
now recited do not seem to carry 
with them any great weight. Jepth- 
thah may still have meant to vow 
that he would offer up a human sa- 
crifice. But that such a sacrifice 
was actually made does not, we con- 
ceive, necessarily follow from this 
admission. Of this, however, more 
in the sequel. 

The second rendering, which is 
that of the translators of the English 
Bible, is liable perhaps to no serious 
grammatical objection, though, we 
think, less punctiliously faithful to 
the original than the former, for the 
reasons stated in the previous note. 
It is, however, the view given by 
Josephus, who makes Jephthah pro- 
mise to 'offer in sacrifice what liv- 
ing creature soever should first meet 
him,' and he affirms that the vow, in 
that sense, was executed by him ; 'he 
sacrificed his daughter as a burnt 
offering, offering such an oblation 



156 



JUDGES. 



[B. C'114; 



as was neither conformable to the 
law, nor acceptable to God.' The 
same sense is given by the Targum 
of Jonathan, and is perhaps the sense 
which has on its side the balance of 
authorities, both Jewish and Chris- 
tian. But the question whether Jeph- 
thah actually sacrificed his daughter, 
is still to be decided on grounds in- 
dependent of the balance of authority 
as to the literal purport of the vow. 

The celebrated Rabbi, David Kim- 
chi, who flourished in the twelfth cen- 
tury y seems to have been the first who 
proposed the third translation, or that 
given in the margin of the English 
Bible. According to this interpreta- 
tion, the Heb. copulative 1 and, is to 
be translated or, and the sense of the 
vow will then be, ' Whatsoever com- 
eth out of the doors of my house, I 
will, if it be a thing fit for a burnt 
offering, make it one ; or, if not, will 
consecrate it to his service.' This 
would suppose him, in making the 
vow, to have had a mental reserve, 
which would allow him to act as the 
exigency of the case might require. 
It gives him an alternative which by 
the other mode of rendering is effect- 
ually precluded. This construction, 
however, is certainly liable to a very 
important grammatical objection. 
Though it is unquestionable that the 
particle 1 is sometimes used as a dis- 
junctive, and properly rendered 'or,' 
as Ex. 12. 5, 'hand or foot;' 21. 15, 
'father or mother;' 2 Sam. 2. 19, 
' right hand or left,' yet it may be 
doubted whether it is ever used 
to disjoin things so completely as 
this translation supposes. Gussetius 
(Comm. Ling. Ebr.) contends that to 
give 1 a disjunctive force, it is essen- 
tial that the terms between which it 
stands should not be related as genus 



and species, or the one member com- 
prehending the other, as otherwise it 
would be as absurd as to say, ' Thou 
shalt not injure a man or his head,' 
the one term evidently including the 
other. So in the present instance, 
the clause { It shall be the Lord's,' is 
obviously, he affirms, the general, 
while < It shall be offered up for a 
burnt offering,' is merely the included 
particular, indicating the special man- 
ner in which it shall be the Lord's. 
This we cannot but regard as the 
interpretation required on strict phi- 
lological principles, and if the pas* 
sage were rendered, ' It shall be the 
Lord's, even I will offer it up for a 
burnt offering,' it would come, we 
believe, still nearer to the genuine 
force of the original. We assent, 
therefore, to the remark of Noble, 
(Plen. Inspir.) that ' this rendering 
is extremely forced and harsh, and 
one which critics have acquiesced in 
only to get rid of what they esteemed 
a greater difficulty. It also makes 
the second clause of the vow entirely 
unnecessary ; for if Jephthah meant 
to say, that whatsoever came out of 
his house should be consecrated to 
the Lord, in such a manner as was 
suitable to its nature, this is fully 
conveyed in the first clause ; and the 
addition of the second, separated by 
or, instead of helping to determine 
his meaning, is of no use but to per- 
plex it.' For these reasons we are 
compelled to reject the third hypo- 
thesis, as wholly unsustained by a 
just philological support. 

The fourth and last, is Dr. Ran* 
dolph's rendering, ' Whosoever com- 
eth out, &c, shall be the Lord's, and 
I will offer (to) Him a burnt offer- 
ing.' According to this translation, 
Jephthah's vow will consist of tw& 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XL 



157 



parts. The first, that whatsoever 
person or object should come forth of 
his doors to meet him should surely 
be the Lord's; i. e. should be dedicat- 
ed, consecrated for ever to his service. 
The second, that he would, beside 
this, offer to Jehovah a burnt offering. 
According to the rendering in our 
common version, the very same object 
or person who should ' surely be the 
Lord's.' was to be offered up for a 
burnt offering. According to that 
now proposed, they were to be differ- 
ent objects. This explanation appear- 
ed to Bp. Lowth so signally happy 
and conclusive, that he speaks of it 
as having ' perfectly cleared up a dif- 
ficulty, which for two thousand years 
had puzzled all the translators and 
expositors, had given occasion to dis- 
sertations without number, and caus- 
ed endless disputes among the learn- 
ed.' Such a commendation, from 
such a source, undoubtedly entitles 
the proposed explanation to great 
respect, but it has still failed to satis- 
fy the mass of commentators, and as 
we think for very good reasons. The 
sense hereby given to the original is 
not warranted by common usage. 
The Hebrew, it will be observed, is 
i"lbl2 IFPtT^ffl vehaalithihu oldh, 
where the suffixed pronoun in hu. is 
joined to the verb to express the 
thing offered, and not another exam- 
ple can be found, in which verbs of 
offering or sacrificing are accompa- 
nied with a suffix pronoun denoting 
the Being to vshom the offering is 
made. On the contrary, instances of 
a precisely parallel usage to the pre- 
sent are of no uncommon occurrence. 
Thus 1 Sam. 7. 9, ' Then Samuel 
took a sucking lamb, and offered it 
(for) a burnt offering (ni>13> in^l 
veyaale.hu olah,) wholly to the Lord,' 
14 



See also 2 Kings 3. 27, where we 
meet with a case exceedingly similar 
to this of Jephthah. What Jephthah, 
according to the most direct import 
of his words, is supposed to have 
promised to do, the king of Moab, 
when sore pressed by the kings of 
Israel, Judah, and Edom, is affirmed 
actually to have done: and in pre- 
cisely the same words, joined in the 
same construction ; ' Then took he 
his eldest son, that should have reign- 
ed in his stead, and offered him (for) 
a burnt offering, (n^12 inlb^l) upon 
the wall.' These words differ from 
Jephthah's only in the mood, tense, 
and person of the verb, and in the 
common variety in spelling of the 
noun, the same suffix in and appa- 
rently in the same relation being used 
in each. 

On the whole we are constrained 
to dissent from this, as well as the 
preceding interpretation, and to ac- 
knowledge, that after all the labors of 
the learned, nothing satisfactory has 
yet been produced to fix a sense upon 
the passage, which should exclude 
the idea that a human sacrifice was 
either intended by the vow, or might 
be its unintended result. It is still 
undeniable that the old common 
translation, sanctioned by the venera- 
ble Septuagint version, is that which 
naturally flows from the words, if 
taken in their legitimate construction. 
Certain too it is, that if Jephthah had 
spoken English, and had said, ' Who- 
soever cometh out of the doors of my 
house, &c, shall be the Lord's, and I 
will offer him up for a burnt offer- 
ing ;' and these words had been 
translated from English into Hebrew, 
they could not otherwise have been 
exactly rendered than by the very 
words which now stand in the He- 



158 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



32 IT So Jephthah passed over 
unto the children of Ammon to 
fight against them : and the 
Lord delivered them into his 
hands. 

33 And he smote them from 
Aroer even till thou come to 
p Minnith, even twenty cities, 
and unto the plain of the vine- 
yards, with a very great slaugh- 

P Ezek. 27. 17. 

brew Bible. At the same time, as 
we shall presently endeavor to show, 
though we do not doubt that this lan- 
guage expresses fairly what was in 
Jephthah's mind at the time of mak- 
ing the vow, yet whether he actually 
executed the vow in this sense of it 
admits of very serious question. See 
farther on v. 39. 

32. Jephthah passed over unto. That 
is, passed through or over the inter- 
mediate regions lying between him 
and the enemy. 

33. Thus the children of Ammon 
were subdued, &c. Heb. ^""D* 1 yik- 
Tcareu, were greatly humbled, or, if we 
may be allowed to fabricate a term 
for the purpose, ' were Canaanized,' 
i. e. made to share the fate of the 
Canaanites ; which to a Hebrew ear 
would be precisely the import of the 
original. How far his success on 
this occasion is to be construed as an 
answer to his prayers, and a token of 
the divine acceptance of his vow, it 
is not possible to determine. By 
some it is considered a strong argu- 
ment in favor of the milder view 
which is taken of the vow. ' Would 
God,' it is asked, 'have sanctioned in 
this manner a gross act of deliberate 
murder 1 Would not this have been 
the very way to deceive his people, 
and to make them think he was 



ter. Thus the children of Am 
mon were subdued before the 
children of Israel. 

34 IT And Jephthah came to 
q Mizpeh unto his house, and 
behold, r his daughter came out 
to meet him with timbrels and 
with dances : and she was his 
only child : beside her he had 
neither son nor daughter. 

q ch. 10. 17, and ver. 11. r Exod. 15. 20. 



pleased with such offerings as the 
heathen presented unto Moloch 1 
And when, in future ages, he punish- 
ed his people for offering human sa- 
crifices, might they not justly have 
pleaded, that he, in this instance, had 
both approved and rewarded them V 
To this we answer, that the public 
interest of the whole Jewish people 
was more regarded in the bestow- 
ment of the victory, than the private 
hopes or wishes of Jephthah. Un- 
worthy or faulty instruments were 
often employed by the Most High in 
effecting his kind purposes for Israel, 
and we see no reason to doubt that 
the result would have been the same 
with the same means, even had no vow 
whatever been uttered. Moreover, 
it is a high presumption in weak 
mortals to read in the events of pro- 
vidence a proof, that God makes 
himself a party to compacts of their 
own voluntary proposing, let them 
be ever so well intended. His coun- 
sels are a great deep, and it is at our 
peril that we put such unauthorized 
constructions upon his dispensations. 
' No man knoweth either love or 
hatred by all that is before them.' 

34. With timbrels and with dances. 
From this, and from 1 Sam. 18. 6, 
where David's triumphal return from 
the defeat of Goliath and the Philis- 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



159 



35 And it came to pass, when 
he saw her, that he s rent his 
clothes, and said, Alas, my 

6 Gen. 37. 29, 34. 



tines is mentioned, it appears to have 
been an ancient custom for women 
to go forth to meet returning con- 
querors with musical instruments, 
songs, and dances. Jephthah's daugh- 
ter, on this occasion, undoubtedly 
came forth, not alone, but at the head 
of a band or choir of maidens, who 
joined with her in these joyful con- 
gratulations. IT She was his only 

child. This circumstance is men- 
tioned to point out an additional 
cause of the poignancy of his dis- 
tress. It is well known how intensely 
anxious the Hebrews were for pos- 
terity, and as Jephthah could only 
hope for descendants through his 
daughter, the sorrow he expressed 
is quite natural, even under the 

milder interpretation of his vow. 

^Besides her he had neither son nor 
daughter. Or, Heb. ' there was not 
to himself either son or daughter;' 
implying, as some of the Jewish 
commentators think, that though he 
had no other children of his own, 
yet his wife, the widow of a former 
husband, had. Others take the ori- 
ginal 13?2fa mimmenu, with our trans- 
lators, as used for flDfato mimmendh, 
besides her, a view of the phrase 
whichRosenmiillerseems to approve. 
35. Alas, my daughter, thou hast 
brought vie very low. Heb. ^lin 
h 3n$"Dn hakraa hikrateni, boioing 
thou hast made me to bow ; generally 
spoken of bowing down upon the 
knees for purposes of religious reve- 
rence, or from feebleness and ex- 
haustion, especially when overcome 
in battle. Here the idea seems to be, 



daughter ! 
very low, 
them that 



thou hast brought me 
and thou art one of 



trouble me 



one 
: for 



that from being highly elated by the 
lecent victory, he had now, in meet- 
ing his daughter under the present 
circumstances, been suddenly and 
wofully depressed and struck down, as 
it were, to the earth. His exultation 
was changed to humiliation and 
grief. His daughter had done to 
him what the Ammonites could not. 
The evident bitterness of emotion 
which he betrayed, on meeting his 
daughter, clearly shows that he then 
looked upon himself as bound by the 
tenor of his vow to make her life a 
sacrifice. Although the idea of con- 
signing her to a state of perpetual 
celibacy and seclusion, of being be- 
reft of her society, and seeing the ex- 
tinction of his name in Israel certain, 
could not but greatly affect the heart 
of a father, yet the anguish which he 
now expressed appears too intense 
and excruciating to be caused by any 
thing but the conviction that she must 
die— die a martyred victim to his 

precipitate vow. IT Thou art one 

of them that trouble me. Heb. ' thou 
hast become among my troublers.' 
This language might, in reality, 
have been more properly addressed 
by the daughter to her father, but his 
meaning obviously is, that she had 
innocently and involuntarily become 
a source of unspeakable distress to 
him. ' He answers the measures of 
her feet with the knockings of his 
breast. Her joy alone hath changed 
the day, and lost the comfort of that 
victory which she enjoyed to see 
won. It falls out often, that those 
times and occasions which promise 



160 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



'have opened my mouth unto 
the Lord, and u I cannot go back. 
36 And she said unto him, My 
father, if thou hast opened thy 
mouth unto the Lord, x do to 

t Eccles. 5. 2. « Num. 30. 2. Ps. 15. 4. 

Eccles. 5. 4, 5. x Num. 30. 2. 

most contentment, prove most doleful 
in the issue ; the heart of this virgin 
was never lifted up so high as now, 
neither did any day of her life seem 
happy but this ; and this only proves 
the day of her solemn and perpetual 
mourning. It is good, in a fair 
morning, to think of the storm that 
may arise ere night, and to enjoy 
both good and evil fearfully.' — Bp. 

Hall. IT I have opened my mouth 

unto the Lord. I have solemnly 
vowed to him ; implying that the 
vow was not only conceived in the 
mind, but uttered with the lips. Vows, 
unless they were verbally enounced, 
seem not to have been regarded as 
binding, Num. 30. 3, 7, 9, 13 ; Deut. 
23. 22, 23-. Although the narrative 
does not represent him as informing 
her specifically of the burden of the 
vow, yet from what follows it is plain 
that she soon became aware of it, 
either from the extreme distress 
which he now manifested, or from 
his subsequent explicit disclosures. 
The sacred writers frequently omit 
the mention of minor circumstances, 
contenting themselves with the state- 
ment of leading facts, and leaving it 
lo the judgment of the reader to sup- 
ply the omitted links of the chain. 

IT / cannot go back. I cannot 

recall the vow myself, now that it is 
solemnly uttered, nor can any power 
on earth release me from its obliga- 
tion. 

36. My father, if thou hast opened 



me according to that which hath 
proceeded out of thy mouth ; 
forasmuch as y the Lord hath 
taken vengeance for thee of thine 
enemies, even of the children of 
Ammon. 

y 2 Sam. 18. 19, 31. 



thy mouth, &c. A striking pattern 
of filial piety and obedience, and of 
heroic zeal for what she conceived 
the honor of God and of Israel. So 
rejoiced was she at the victory, as 
redounding to the good of her coun- 
try, that she is willing to be herself 
offered up as a thank-offering for it 5 
and thinks her life well bestowed 
when laid down for such a purpose. 
True indeed it is, that if her father's 
conduct was wrong in making the 
vow, hers, when viewed intrinsically 
in itself, could not be right in concur- 
ring in it; the same moral character 
would attach to both; but it were 
vain to expect that her knowledge 
in such a matter would go beyond 
that of her father. How can it be 
supposed that a youthful maiden 
should have had clear views of the 
import of the divine law on such a 
subject, when her father's mind was 
enveloped in darkness 1 Her gene- 
rous self-devotion, therefore, is still 
entitled to our highest commenda- 
tion. Her involuntary ignorance 
excuses her infirmity, and if she be- 
lieved when she uttered these words, 
that she was to be put to death, nei- 
ther Greece nor Rome, with all their 
heroes and heroines, can furnish an 
instance of sublimer self-sacrifice 
than this of the humble maid of Isra- 
el. Had it occurred among these 
boasting people, instead of the plain 
unvarnished tale of the sacred histo- 
rian, we should have had it pressed 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XL 



161 



37 And she said unto her fa- 
ther, Let this thing be done for 
me : Let me alone two months, 
that I may go up and down upon 



on our admiration with all the pomp 
of eloquence. Indeed it cannot be 
doubted, had but Jephtbah and his 
daughter been heathens, that the very 
persons, who now find in the transac- 
tion nothing but a pretence for vilify- 
ing the Scriptures, would then have 
extolled the whole as exhibiting the 
finest example of the most noble con- 
stancy, the most disinterested virtue. 
37. Let me alone for two months. 
The word in the original is that used 
for slacking, relaxing, loosing one's 
hold upon any thing; see Note on 
Josh. 1. 4. The whole narrative 
affords nothing more obscure and re- 
markable than this request. On what 
custom was it founded 1 Is there an 
intimation of any thing similar in 
any other part of the Scriptures, or in 
any thing relative to oriental man- 
ners and usages 1 We know of no- 
thing, and must sit down resigned in 
our ignorance. Yet we think the 
inference fair, that children, both 
sons and daughters, were occasion- 
ally dedicated by Jewish parents to 
the perpetual service of God at the 
tabernacle or temple, as we know 
was the case with Samuel, though he, 
in after rife, seems to have obtained 
a dispensation from the vow of his 
mother. Where this was the case 
with j T outhful females, it is probable 
the custom obtained of their retiring 
for a season in groups from domestic 
scenes to sequestered places ; in token 
of regret at being thereby excluded 
the privilege of a place among the 
ancestors of the future generations 
of Israel, and perhaps of the Messiah. 
14* 



the mountains, and bewail my 
virginity, I and my fellows. 

38 And he said, Go. And he 
sent her away for two months : 



Not that we can suppose that compa- 
nies of unprotected maidens would 
forsake for days and weeks the habi- 
tations of men, and spend their time 
in roving about over hill and dale in 
the open air, for they would surely 
stand in need of food and shelter, and 
how on this supposition were they to 
procure them 1 but they probably 
withdrew to some retired places of 
abode, remote from populous villa- 
ges, where, under the care of pious 
matrons, they passed the allotted time 
in the observance of such rites and 
ceremonies, as were appointed for 
the purpose; occasionally, perhaps, 
walking abroad in solemn and 
mournful processions. It is at least 
difficult to conceive, in a civilized, 
and religious state of society, and 
especially in Eastern countries, of 
any other mode, in which a company 
of youthful damsels could, without a 
very ill appearance, spend a season 
of retirement from their usual place 
of residence. Let the question be put 
to any reflecting mind, in what other 
light can a transaction of this nature 
be viewed 1 Did the Jewish maidens, 
under these circumstances, sojourn 
unattended for weeks and months, 
wandering up and down on the moun- 
tains'? Is it conceivable that they 
should have adopted a measure so 
utterly abhorrent to female decorum 
and so completely at war with the 
very first rudiments of oriental pre- 
judice 1 If then, upon abandoning 
their own homes, they must have re- 
sorted to some kind of habitations, 
what were they 1 what, but a species 



162 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



and she went with her compan- 
ions, and bewailed her virginity 
upon the mountains. 
39 And it came to pass at the 

of abode designed for the purpose? 
For ourselves, the narrated facts of 
the Scripture allow us to come to no 
other conclusion. If then such a cus- 
tom existed at the time to which our 
narrative refers, it is very supposa- 
ble, that Jephthah's daughter on an 
occasion like the present, with her 
impending fate full before her, should 
have been desirous to avail herself 
of a usage, originally indeed design- 
ed for another purpose, but not inap- 
propriate to this, and so have re- 
quested a respite of a few weeks 
from the doom that awaited her. 
What more fitting employment dur- 
ing that dread interval, than to min- 
gle her regrets with those whose lot 
her own in one respect so much re- 
sembled, though they were exempted 
from the destiny to which she had 
meekly submitted 1 

39. Did with her according to his 
vow. Heb. "ma ritf {"ft in^l vayaas 
lah eth nidro, did to her his vow. 
The original, if we mistake not, af- 
fords some more latitude of construc- 
tion, in respect to the mode of execut- 
ing the vow, than is allowed by our 
present rendering. According to the 
latter, we are required to believe that 
he adhered to the very letter of the 
vow, and actually offered her as a 
burnt offering, which we have en- 
deavored to show is the unforced le- 
gitimate sense of the vow itself. Ac- 
cording to the former, which is more 
general and indefinite, we are not, 
we conceive, absolutely shut up to 
the adoption of this sense. The 
phrase, ' he did to her his vow,' 



end of two months, that she re- 
turned unto her father, who z did 
with her according to his vow 

^ vex. 31, 1 Sam. 1. 22, 24, and 2. 18. 



strikes us as not specifying the pre- 
cise manner in which the vow was 
performed, but as leaving us at liber- 
ty, provided the exigency of the case 
requires it, to understand the writer 
as saying, that he did to her what 
was equivalent to his original vow, 
what was accepted in lieu of it, in- 
stead of the identical thing which the 
vow contemplated. The verisimili- 
tude of this rendering will be just in 
proportion to the probability, derived 
from other sources, that he did not 
actually put his daughter to death ; 
that in the interval of the two months' 
respite which she besought, he had 
come to a different view of the de- 
mands of duty in the case, the amount 
of which was, a clear conviction that 
the literal fulfilment of the vow was 
not obligatory upon him. In sup- 
port of this hypothesis, which we 
think to be the true one, we offer the 
following considerations. 

(1) It is not expressly stated that 
she was offered up for a burnt offer- 
ing. Instead of saying, as would 
naturally, on that supposition, have 
been expected in a transaction of 
such moment, ' He did with her ac- 
cording to his vow, and offered her up 
for a burnt offering to the Lord,'' the 
writer simply affirms, ' He did to her 
his vow, and she knew no man ;' as if 
this were intended to be explanatory 
of the manner in which the doing of 
the vow was accomplished, viz. by 
devoting her to a life of celibacy. 
Why else is this latter circumstance 
mentioned, but to show wherein the 
accomplishment of the vow consist- 



B.C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XL 



163 



ed'? Tf she were really put to death, 
is it not strange that the fact of her 
death is not once spoken of? But if 
she were only doomed to a state of 
perpetual virginity, the reason of the 
expression is at once obvious. It 
may indeed be objected that no other 
instance of devoting a person to vir- 
ginity occurs, nor have we evidence 
that parents possessed any such right. 
This we admit ; but neither, on the 
other hand, does the Scripture afford 
evidence, that parents possessed the 
right of devoting their children to 
death, nor exhibit, among the chos- 
en people, an example of the fact of 
such a devotement. The intrinsic 
probability, therefore, is as strong on 
the one side as the other. Nor is 
the objection more valid, that sup- 
posing her only devoted to God, 
there was no reason why she should 
remain unmarried ; since Samson 
and Samuel, both of whom were de- 
voted to God from the womb, were 
both married. But the case is ex- 
tremely different between a man and 
a woman. The former was at liberty 
to serve God, in any way that he 
judged agreeable to his will ; but the 
latter, if she had married, would have 
been under the control of her hus- 
band, who might in a variety of 
ways have interfered with the dis- 
charge of the duties which the vow 
implied. It was therefore necessary 
that she should remain unmarried, 
and that she should also be secluded 
in a great measure from society itself; 
that being the way in which the ob- 
ject of entire consecration could be 
mo^t effectually attained. Moreover, 
such a sentence would come the 
nearest of any other to the letter of 
his vow. She would henceforth be- 
come dead to the world, and in her 



perpetual celibacy the line of his pos- 
terity become extinct for ever. It 
would therefore almost amount to a 
positive immolation of her. 

(2) It does not appear by whose 
hands such a sacrifice could have 

I been offered. Not by the high priest, 
' or any regular member of the priest- 
hood, for with all the deplorable lax- 
ness, ignorance, and degeneracy that 
prevailed, it is incredible that any 
officiating priest should have tolerated 
for a moment, in the face of such ex- 
plicit prohibitions as Moses had giv- 
en, the oblation of a human sacrifice. 
And not by Jephthah himself, for 
this would have been a transgression 
of the Levitical law, which enjoined 
that every offering should be made 
by the hand of the priest, and at the 
place where the tabernacle and altar 
stood. This is rendered still more 
certain by an important circumstance 
mentioned in the beginning of the 
next chapter. It will be remembered 
that the tabernacle was at this time 
at Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim. 
Now immediately after the conclu- 
sion of the war with the Ammonites, 
we find Jephthah engaged in a bitter 
war with the Ephraimites. This 
makes it in the highest degree impro- 
bable that he should, in the very heat 
of the quarrel, have gone into the 
heart of that tribe to offer such a sa- 
crifice, even had it been lawful. If 
then, there is the utmost reason to be- 
lieve that such an offering was not 
made by the high priest or any infe- 
rior priest — that it w r as not made by 
Jephthah himself— and that it was 
not made at Shiloh, the appointed 
place of sacrifice, what reason is there 
to suppose it was made at all % 

(3) From all the circumstances, 
the probability, we think, is very 



164 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



strong that Jephlhah availed himself 
of the provisions of the law, in re- 
spect to devoted persons and things ; 
in other words, that during the two 
months' interval, he had become bet- 
ter instructed in regard to the subject 
of vows in general under the Mosaic 
statutes, and ascertained that a dis- 
pensation, in his case, was practica- 
ble. We have already remarked that 
vows were encouraged under the law, 
and that besides the 'her em or ana- 
thema, persons or things might be de- 
voted to God. But where this was 
the case, the law permitted that a 
valuation should be made of the de- 
voted person or thing, and that the 
money should be regarded as a ran- 
som for it, or an offering be presented 
in its stead. If a human being were 
devoted, the estimation was to vary 
according to the sex or age of the 
person, Lev. 27. 2-13, but for an adult 
female, it was thirty shekels of sil- 
ver. Now supposing that Jephthah, 
at the time of making the vow, had 
no distinct recollection or knowledge 
of this law ; supposing even that the 
vow, as it emanated from his lips, 
partook more of the character of the 
'herein than the neder ; yet is it con- 
ceivable, that when the execution of 
it was postponed for two months, 
and the affair had become notorious 
throughout the nation, and was the 
subject of general discussion and 
great lamentation, there was no per- 
son in all Israel who once thought 
of this law'? Would not the agonized 
father, besides devoting to it his own 
in tensest study, consult the priests 
on the subject 1 And would not the 
priests acquaint him with the pro- 
visions of the law in reference to a 
case of casuistry like the present 1 
And what would naturally be the re- 



sult ] Could he fail to come to the 
conclusion, that such a sacrifice as 
he first intended was not only unlaw- 
ful, but in the face of the numerous 
pointed prohibitions against it would 
amount to nothing short of down- 
right murder 1 Would he not learn, 
that as an offering (H^5>, the term 
he had employed in his vow) was in 
its own nature incompatible with a 
'herem (tDin), and that the law hav- 
ing made no provision for the latter 
being substituted for the former, he 
was even, according to the very terms 
of his vow, rightly understood, not 
only released, but prohibited from 
performing it 1 Under these cir- 
cumstances, would he, could he per- 
severe in his original intention'? Is 
it not more probable, that after deep 
deliberation in concert with the au- 
thorised expounders of the law, he 
yielded to the conviction, that al- 
though his solemn pledge did not 
originally contemplate any such al- 
ternative, yet it might be embraced 
in the provisions now alluded to — 
that it might come under the class 
of redeemable vows ? He would be 
more encouraged to avail himself of 
this dispensation, on the ground of 
the darkness of his mind at the time 
of coming under the engagement. 
It was not an act of wilful disregard 
of the divine statutes relative to this 
point, but one rather of misapprehen- 
sion and infirmity, though from its 
rash and reckless character by no 
means innocent. He was still, we 
may suppose, ready to humble him- 
self before God in view of his pre- 
cipitancy, and while he paid the 
ransom price that delivered his 
daughter from death, piously resolv- 
ed, by way of punishing himself for 
his rashness, to fulfil his vow in her 



B.C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



165 



which he had vowed : and she 



civil excision from among the living. 
He accordingly, we conceive, con- 
signed her henceforth to a state of 
perpetual seclusion and celibacy — of 
living consecration to God — and in 
this manner ' did unto her his vow,' 
though in a mode oi execution, 
which did not, in the first instance, 
enter into his thoughts. 

Thus, on the whole, after weighing 
all the circumstances and arguments 
bearing upon the case, we are led to 
decide upon the much disputed point, 
whether Jephthah really sacrificed 
his daughter. To our mind the evi- 
dence for the negative clearly pre- 
ponderates. At the same time, we 
do not, as will be seen, deduce it 
fro:n the terms of the vow, or any 
fancied contingency of purpose in 
Jephthah's mind at the time of mak- 
ing it. We believe that it was made 
under the prevailing impression that 
a human sacrifice would be the re- 
sult ; but that, although his conduct 
was contrary to the Scriptural pre- 
cept forbidding men ' after vows to 
make inquiry/ he became subse- 
quently more enlightened, and by a 
careful study of the law, aided by 
its proper ministers, he ascertained 
the possibility of being released from 
the dilemma in which he had so 
thoughtlessly ensnared himself. Per- 
haps the most valid objection to the 
view given above, is that which 
would assume the form of the ques- 
tion, Why, if such were the fact, is 
the narrative so constructed as to 
give rise almost inevitably to the 
impression, that the literal immola- 
tion of Jephthah's daughter actually 
took place 1 Without allowing that 



knew no man. And it was a 
custom in Israel, 



an inability to answer this question 
satisfactorily ought to be considered 
as essentially weakening the force 
of the arguments adduced above, 
we may suggest in reply, that the 
Spirit of inspiration may have fram- 
ed the record as it now stands, mark- 
ed by a somewhat ambiguous as- 
spect, in order to guard against a 
light estimate of the obligation of vows. 
We do not affirm this to have been 
the design, but it is certainly con- 
ceivable that if it had been expressly 
staled that the vow in its literal sense 
had not been performed, it might 
have gone to relax somewhat of the 
apprehended sacredness of all such 
votive engagements, and led men to 
think that God himself might easily 
dispense with them. Whereas, as it 
is now worded, and would be per- 
haps most naturally understood, it 
would inspire far other sentiments, 
and lead men at once to be very cau- 
tious in making, and very punctili- 
ous in performing their vows. 

39, 40. And it was a custom in Is- 
rael. Heb. jaWE pH ^nm vat- 
tehi ''hole be-yisrael. The phraseology 
of the original is peculiar, the verb 
being of the fern., the noun of the 
masc. gender. The literal rendering 
| we take to be, ' and she became an 
! ordinance in Israel ;' i. e. her case 
I beame a precedent; it gave rise to an 
established custom in Israel. But 
J what particular custom is alluded to, 
whether that of dedicating maidens 
to God, as Gusset supposes, or that 
of going at stated times to commemo- 
rate the fate of Jephthah's daughter, 
as others contend, is not clear. The 
latter appears, on the whole, most 



166 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



40 That the daughters of Israel 
went yearly to lament the daugh- 



probable. *&Went yearly to lament 

the daughter of Jephthah. Heb. 
n^Pfa' 1 U* 1 ^* 1 ^ miyamim yamimah, 
from days to days; but a day in 
Scriptural idiom is often used for a 
year; for which reason the marginal 
reading is properly ' from year to 
year.' The original for c to lament,' 
(rfDtlb leihannoth), is a term of very 
questionable import. It is rendered 
differently according to the different 
opinions of expositors, as to the na- 
ture of the vow, and the mode of its 
fulfilment. Those who think that 
she was sacrificed, are satisfied with 
the present version ; those who dis- 
sent from this, contend earnestly for 
the marginal rendering, ' to talk 
with,' — meaning that the daughters 
of Israel went yearly to condole 
with and to comfort her. It must be 
admitted, that the evidence for this 
latter sense of the word is by no 
means slight, if we refer to the only 
other instance in which it occurs, 
Judg. 5. 11, where, though trans- 
lated 'to rehearse '—'there shall they 
rehearse the righteous acts of the 
Lord,' — yet the idea of colloquy, of 
mutual address, is clearly involved. 
This is confirmed by Kimchi, the 
Jewish commentator, who thus para- 
phrases the words before us, ' That 
indeed, with their friendly discourse 
they might comfort her concerning 
her virginity and her solitary state 
of life.' The ancient versions, how- 
ever, with one accord, give the sense 
of lamenting, bewailing, a circum- 
stance undoubtedly to us of no small 
weight, though not absolutely deci- 
sive in estimating the true import of 
the term. The probability is, that 



ter of Jephthah the Gileadite 
four days in a year. 



the word means in its most general 
sense, ' to praise, to celebrate, to com- 
memorate,' and would therefore de- 
note that the daughters of Israel kept 
a few days' anniversary to commem- 
orate this transaction, whatever were 
its result. For aught that appears 
from the language itself, she might 
have been living at the time. Indeed 
take the passage as it reads ; ' The 
daughters of Israel went to lament 
the daughter of Jephthah ;' and the 
question is, what in her, or respecting 
her, did they lament 1 It is not said 
they lamented her death ; and to af- 
firm that they did, is to beg the ques- 
tion. They might have lamented 
only what they and Jephthah's daugh- 
ter had lamented before, viz. her vir- 
ginity. On the whole, though some 
difficulties attend every interpretation 
hitherto advanced of Jephthah's vow 
and its consequences, yet the forego- 
ing has perhaps the fewest and the 
least, and receives most countenance 
both from philological and moral 
considerations. 

We may close our observations on 
this remarkable portion of holy writ 
by suggesting, (1) That we be cau- 
tious in making vows. ' Be not rash 
with thy mouth, and let not thine 
heart be hasty to utter any thing be- 
fore God; for God is in heaven, and 
thou upon eanh ; therefore let thy 
words be few.' It may sometimes be 
useful to bind ourselves by solemn 
vows, to evince our gratitude and 
confirm our regard for the divine 
glory. But such vows should be de- 
liberately and discreetly made, and 
should extend to those things only 
that are clearly lawful in themselves, 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



167 



CHAPTER XII. 

AND a the men of Ephraim 
gathered themselves toge- 

and serviceable to the interests of re- 
ligion. Strict inquiry should be 
made into the nature and extent of 
the proposed engagements, before we 
enter imo them. Thus Solomon de- 
clares, ' It is a snare to a man to de- 
vour that which is holy, and after 
vows to make inquiry.' If we have 
rashly pledged ourselves to do wiiat 
the law of God prohibits, we must 
recede from our vow, and humble 
ourselves before our Maker for our 
precipitance. The forty conspirators, 
who swore that they would neither 
eat nor drink till they had killed 
Paul, and Herod, who swore that he 
would give his daughter whatsoever 
she should ask of him, had no right 
to bind themselves to such an extent, 
and would have sinned less in vio- 
lating than in keeping their engage- 
ments. Let their case be a warning 
to us. (2) That we be conscientious 
in performing them. Where our 
vows are lawful and practicable they 
should be religiously kept. Better 
is it not to vow. than to vow and not 
perform. So Solomon exhorts ; 
' When thou vowest a vow unto 
God, defer not to pay it, for he hath 
no pleasure in fools. Pay that which 
thou hast vowed.' Even though the 
rigid observance of our vows should 
subject us to great sacrifices, expense, 
and trouble, yet the obligation should 
be considered sacred, and the attempt 
to set them aside by the plea of in- 
advertence or of difficulty in the per- 
formance will only serve to bring 
upon us the heavy displeasure of 
God. If Jephthah, after having pre- 
cipitately bound himself by a solemn 



ther, and went northward, and 
said unto Jephthah, Wherefore 



a See ch. 8. 1. 



engagement, felt constrained to ad- 
here to its spirit, though released 
from the letter, and would not go 
back, notwithstanding the sacrifice 
was so great, so neither should we 
decline the performance of the most 
difficult of our vows. Let us remind 
ourselves of the sacredness uniformly 
attached in the Scriptures to obliga- 
tions of this sort, and say with David, 
' I will go into thy house with burnt 
offerings ; I w T ill pay thee my vows 
which my lips have uttered, and my 
mouth hath spoken, w^hen I was in 
trouble.' And who is there that has 
not the responsibility of vows of some 
kind resting upon him 1 Who has 
not, in a time of sickness, or danger, 
or trouble, or alarm, determined with 
himself, that if he should be deliver- 
ed, he would devote himself to the 
Lord and to the pursuit of heavenly 
things 1 Let all such look back and 
call to mind the vows that are upon 
them, and be admonished that Jeph- 
thah will rise up in judgment against 
the violation of them. Especially 
let us remember that in making a 
profession of religion, we have vow- 
ed to be the Lord's in a perpetual 
covenant of love, trust, and obedi- 
ence. We have opened our mouths 
to him, and now we cannot go back 
without the shipwreck of truth, hon- 
or, conscience, and probably of sal- 
vation. Again therefore we say, let 
us be faithful to covenant engage- 
ments. (3) Others' sorroivs should be 
our oivn. and by partaking we should 
seek to alleviate them. So was it with 
the companions of Jephthah's daugh- 
ter, and so should it be with the sons 



168 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



passedst thou over to fight 
against the children of Amnion, 
and didst not call us to go with 

and daughters of the true Israel, in 
all ages and climes. 



thee ? we will burn thine house 
upon thee with fire. 
2 And Jephthah said unto 



CHAPTER XII. 

1. The men of Ephraim gathered 
themselves together. Heb. ET& p2^ 
tD'HSSS yitztzdek ish Ephrayim, the 
man of Ephraim was cried together ; 
collective singular for the plural ; 
i. e. summoned together by the voice 
of heralds passing to and fro through 
the tribe. The passive voice in Heb. 
often has a reciprocal import, and 
here probably is intended to convey 
the idea of a mutual stirring each 
other up, independent of the will of a 
superior, and a consequent flocking 
together in somewhat of a loose and 
tumultuary manner. With this as 
the leading idea of the passage be- 
fore his mind, Jerome, in the Vul- 
gate, has rendered it, ' And there 
arose a sedition in Ephraim ;' on 
which Rosenmuller remarks, that he 
took the Heb. verb to imply that by 
mutual clamor and vociferation they 
excited themselves to sedition and 

tumult. IT Went northward. Heb. 

ri31&2 "OS'* 1 yaabor tzaphonah, pass- 
ed over northward. Crossing the 
Jordan, they advanced in a northerly 
direction towards Mizpeh, where 
Jephthah now was. This region lay 
to the northeast, rather than directly 
north of the territory of Ephraim. 

See map. IT Wherefore passedst 

thou over, &c. Not over Jordan, for 
he was on the farther side of that 
river already ; but simply over the 
intermediate regions between him 
and the scene of conflict. We have 
here a second proof of the haughty 



and turbulent disposition of the Eph- 
raimites. They had no just ground 
whatever for their present bitter 
crimination of Jephthah. Their 
jealous and envious spirit towards 
Manasseh, was the only cause of the 
injurious charge, and violent threat 
which they now uttered. Although 
from being both the sons of Joseph 
they were nearer akin than any other 
of the tribes, yet between none other 
of the tribes was there such a burn- 
ing spirit of rivalry and disaffection 
as between them. The conduct of 
the Ephraimites on this occasion, 
compared with their complaints to 
Joshua, and their hostile attitude to- 
wards Gideon, clearly evinces a dis- 
position to lord it over the other 
tribes, with an authority and pre- 
eminence to which they were cer- 
tainly not yet entitled. We are re- 
minded by the incidents of the nar- 
rative, (1) That quarrels between 
brethren are usually most bitter and 
violent. ' A brother offended is 
harder to be won than a strong city ; 
and their contentions are as the bars 
of a castle.' (2) They who have 
done the greatest service to the cause 
of God, are not secure from the 
greatest insults, even sometimes from 
the pretended friends of that cause. 
The most spotless characters are 
often the chosen marks for the fangs 
of envy to fasten upon. 

2. And Jephthah said unto them, &c. 
Jephth ah's answer, at once firm but 
temperate, shows that their charge 
was as false as malicious ; that he 
had called them, and they refused to 
come. The greatest boasters and 



B. C. 1143. 



CHAPTER XII. 



169 



them, I and my people were at 
great strife with the children of 
Amnion ; and when I called you, 
ye delivered me not out of their 
hands. 

3 And when I saw that ye de- 
livered me not, I b put my life in 

b 1 Sain. 19. 5, and 28. 21. Job 13. 14. Ps. 
119. 109. 



loudest pretenders are usually the 
greatest cowards ; and they who are 
themselves most in fault, are often 
prone to shield themselves, by accus- 
ing the innocent. MI and my peo- 
ple were at great strife, &c, Heb. ' 1 
was a man of strife, and my people, 
and the children of Ammon greatly,' 
As if he had said, ' Although the 
quarrel was chiefly between us Gile- 
adites and the Ammonites, and not 
between you and them, yet out of re- 
spect to you as brethren and confede- 
rates, 1 gave you an invitation to 
join our forces, yet you declined.' In 
reality, therefore, he had more cause 
to condemn them for their indiffer- 
ence to the fate of their brethren, 
than they him for taking the field 
without them. Reason is very apt 
to forsake those who renounce right. 

IT Ye delivered me not out of their 

hands. That is, ye strove not, ye 
attempted not, ye did not what in you 
1 ay, to deliver me. See Note on Gen. 
37. 21. It is not to be supposed that 
his deliverance and success were 
suspended entirely upon their efforts 
in his behalf 

3. I put my life in my hands. Heb. 
^IMD bekappi, in my palm. A strong 
orientalism, implying, ' I risked my 
life in a seemingly desperate under- 
taking.' ' The Hindoos use the same 
figure ; and the idea seems to be taken 
from a man carrying something very 
15 



my hands, and passed over 
against the children of Ammon, 
and the Lord delivered them 
into my hand : wherefore then 
are ye come up unto me this 
day, to fight against me ? 

4 Then Jephthah gathered to- 
gether all the men of Gilead, 
and fought with Ephraim : and 

precious in his hands, and that un- 
der circumstances of great danger. 
When a son who has been long ab- 
sent returns home, his father says, 
" My son has returned from the far 
country with his life in his hand ;" 
which means, he has passed through 
many dangers, " Last night as I 
went home through the place of evil 
spirits, I put my life in my hands." 
" The other day in passing through 
the forest^ I put my life in my hands, 
for the beasts were near to me in 
every direction." " Danger! truly 
so ; I put my life in my bosom." " O 
that divine doctor ! my son was at 
the point of death, but he brought his 
life in his hand." ' — Roberts. The 
same phrase occurs 1 Sam. 19. 5, 
and 28. 21; Job 13. 14; Ps. 119. 109. 

IT Wherefore then are ye come up 

unto me this day, to fight against me ? 
If God was pleased to give me the 
victory without you, and so far to 
make use of me for his glory, why 
should you be offended 1 Should not 
your resentment rather become grati- 
tude, that you were spared both labor 
and danger 1 Have you any reason 
to fight against me 1 Is it not in 
effect to sin against God, in whose 
hand I have been only an unworthy 
instrument ] 

4 Then Jephthah gathered together, 
&c. Finding all his remonstrances 
vain, and the Ephraimites intent upon 



170 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1143. 



the men of Gilead smote Ephra- 
im, because they said, Ye Gile- 
adites c are fugitives of Ephraim 
among the Ephraimites, and 
among the Manassites. 

5 And the Gileadites took the 
d passages of Jordan before the 

c See 1 Sam. 25. 10. Ps. 78. 9. d Josh. 
22. 11. ch. 3. 28, and 7. 24. 

a quarrel, he was prompted, perhaps 
under the influence of undue excite- 
ment, to undertake to chastise their 
insolence. It is, at any rate, extreme- 
ly difficult to justify such a signal 
revenge, though it be admitted that 
the provocation was very great. Even 
good men often lack the self-com- 
mand which would enable them to 
bear with becoming calmness the in- 
gratitude and calumny of others, and 
in a just cause are apt to be hurried 
on by their passions to unwarrantable 
lengths. — — IT Ye Gileadites me fugi- 
tives of Ephraim, &c. From the 
ambiguity of the original, it is not 
easy to ascertain precisely where the 
point of this reproach lies. Accord- 
ing to the present translation, it is an 
insulting intimation that the Gilead- 
ites were the very scum and refuse 
of the two tribes here mentioned ; but 
the following may be proposed as a 
more correct rendering of the He- 
brew ; c And the men of Gilead smote 
Ephraim, because they (the Gilead- 
ites) said, Ye are fugitives of Ephra- 
im;' i. e. a mere party, a remnant 
of the whole tribe, who have come 
hither without being sent, to molest 
and insult us, whereas the majority 
of the tribe would be more just and 
generous than to treat us in this 
manner. The ensuing words. 15>^3 

rrcnfc '-pnn ta-n&a "pro GUad bethok 

Ephrayim bethok Mcnasseh, Gilead 



Ephraimites : and it was so, that 
when those Ephraimites which 
were escaped, said, Let me go 
over ; that the men of Gilead 
said unto him, Art thou an 
Ephraimite ? If he said, Nay ; 
6 Then said they unto him, 
Say now Shibboleth : and he 
said Sibboleth : for he could not 



was intermediate betvjeen Ephraim 
and Manasseh, are probably to be en- 
closed in a parenthesis, intimating 
that Jephthah's army had taken a 
position between their own territory, 
and that of Ephraim, probably at the 
fords of the Jordan, in order to cut 
off their retreat. Accordingly it is 
said in the next verse, as we would 
translate the words, ' Ear the Gilead- 
ites had taken the passages of the 
Jordan,' &e. As the successive com- 
panies of the Ephraimites approach- 
ed the banks of the stream, to pass 
over into their own country, we sup- 
pose they were addressed in the man- 
ner above mentioned by the Gilead- 
ites. Still the clause is one of very 
dubious import, 

5. Those Ephraimites which were 
escaped. Heb. b^SK ifc^S pelite 
Ephrayim, the fugitives of Ephraim; 
precisely the same phrase with that 
occurring in the verse above, and 
confirming the interpretation there 
given. We consider the drift of the 
writer in v. 5, 6, to be, to state in 
fuller detail; and with some addi- 
tional particulars, the circumstances 
of the slaughter mentioned, v. 4. 

6. Say now Shibboleth; and he 
said Sibboleth. The original differs 
only in the first letter, D samcch, in- 
stead of 123 sheen. It is well known 
that several nations cannot pro- 
nounce certain letters. The sound 



B. C. 1143.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



171 



frame to pronounce it right. 
Then they took him and slew 
him at the passages of Jordan. 

of th, so familiar lo English organs, 
cannot be pronounced by the people 
of some European countries, nor by 
the Persians, though a common 
sound among the Arabians. To this 
day, many of the German Jews can- 
not articulate this sound in reading 
their own Hebrew Scriptures, but 
substitute ss, as baiss for baith, a 
house, bereshiss for bereshitk, the be- 
ginning. It has been remarked also, 
that sh, which is entirely wanting in 
many languages, is of peculiarly dif- 
ficult pronunciation to persons whose 
organs hare not in childhood been 
inured to it. The word chosen by 
the Gideonites as a test-word, signi- 
fies ear of corn, and also a stream, 
and was, perhaps, suggested by being 
(he name of the object immediately 
before them, the river on the banks 
of which they stood. ' Sibboleth,' on 
the other hand, denotes a burden, and 
how these different objects were dis- 
tinguished in the pronunciation of 
the Ephraimites, it is difficult lo say. 
Differences of pronunciation, how- 
ever, even among those speaking the 
same language, or the same dialect, 
are nothing extraordinary. In later 
times, Peter was easily distinguished 
as a Galilean in Pilate's hall by his 
pronunciation, Mark. 14. 70, and 
travellers in the East inform us, that 
the Arabic of Cairo, of Aleppo, and 
of Bagdad, is so different, that one 
who has made himself master of this 
language in one of these cities, can- 
not, without great difficulty, under- 
stand or be understood in the others. 
England itself offers considerable va- 
riety both of dialect and modes of 



And there fell at that time of the 
Ephraimites forty and two thou- 
sand. 



pronunciation, and so probably does 
every other country.— — IT He could, 
not frame to pro?iounce it right. Heb. 
p "Glib 'piD' 1 l& lo ydkin ledabber 
ken, he did not direct to speak it so ; 
i. e. so as he was required. The 
original does not say that he could 
not, but that he did not ; because, 
perhaps, not suspecting the design, 
he may have uttered it rapidly in his 
usual manner. Still the present 
translation is by no means a bad one. 
TH And sleui him. The predomi- 
nant usage of the original is in re- 
ference to that kind of slaughter which 
was common in the case of animal 
victims offered upon the altar; i. e. 
by culling the throat, jugulation ; as 
if they made the inability of the or- 
gans of speech in the throat to utter 
certain sounds, a pretence for putting 
them to death in this manner. In 
view of the means here adopted by 
the Gileadites for detecting the fugi- 
tives of Ephraim, we can scarcely 
fail to reflect how closely they re- 
semble those tests or standards of 
uniformity in religion, which under 
the pretence of promoting brotherly 
union are often made the means of 
persecution and exclusion. i: Say 
now Shibboleth :" say exactly as we 
say, hold exactly as we hold, without 
the liberty to vary a single letter in 
your profession of faith, or we can- 
not let you pass for a Christian at 
all. May God teach us a better way 
of communion, a more comprehen- 
sive standard of truth ! May He 
give us at once the spirit of a sound 
mind, and the feelings of a charita- 
ble heart ! TT There fell— forty and 



172 



JUDGES 



[B. C. 1137. 



7 And Jephthah judged Israel 
six years: then died Jephthah 
the Gileadite, and was buried in 
one of the cities of Gilead. 

S TT And after him Ibzan of 
Beth-lehem judged Israel. 

9 And he had thirty sons and 



two thousand. Heb. fc^EJI fc^'ltf 
t]^& arbaim ushenayim aleph. As 
the Hebrew mode of enumeration 
is peculiar, the copulative 1 vau 
here may perhaps imply simply ad- 
dition, so that the sum will be 2,040 
instead of 42,000. At the last cen- 
sus, Num. 26. 37, the whole tribe of 
Ephraim only amounted to 32,500, 
compared with which the last num- 
ber appears far too great ; especially 
as it is reasonable to believe that on- 
ly a part of the tribe crossed the Jor- 
dan on this expedition. 

7. Was buried in one of the cities 
of Gilead. Heb. ^3 i^S bedre 
Gilad, in the cities of Gilead. A 
curious specimen of Rabbinical con- 
ceit and of the not unfrequent style 
of their exposition, is afforded in 
Rashi's remarks upon these words. 
From him we learn that the ancient 
Jewish doctors maintained that Jeph- 
thah, as a punishment for putting his 
daughter to death, was visited by a 
disease that loosened the joints of the 
different limbs and members of his 
body, and caused them to fall offone 
after another, from time to time, as 
he was passing to and fro over the 
country, and that they were buried 
separately, wherever they happened 
to drop, so that when he died, it 
could be said, from this general dis- 
tribution of his members, that he was 
'buried in the cities of Gilead !' But 
how a man could be in a travelling 
condition, while his body was thus 



thirty daughters whom he sent 
abroad, and took in thirty daugh- 
ters from abroad for his sons : 
and he judged Israel seven years. 

10 Then died Ibzan, and was 
buried at Beth-lehem. 

11 TT And after him Elon, a 

falling to pieces, is a part of the sto- 
ry which is wisely passed over in 
silence. The phraseology is doubt- 
less idiomatic, the plural being put 
for the singular, as Gen. 19. 29, where 
Lot is said to have dwelt, 'in the 
cities,' i. e. in one of the cities. So 
Jonah 1. 5, the sides of the ship ap- 
pears to denote one of the sides. 

8. Ibzan of Beth-lehem. The Beth- 
lehem here mentioned, if we may be- 
lieve Josephus, was that in the tribe 
of Judah, and not that in Zebulun, 
of which see Josh. 19. 5. The Jewish 
critics, for the most part, consider 
this Ibzan to have been the same per- 
son with Boaz, spoken of in the book 
of Ruth ; but the opinion rests upon 
conjecture alone. Nothing memo- 
rable is related of him except the 
circumstance mentioned in the next 
verse. 

9. Had thirty sons and thirty 
daughters. Where polygamy was 
practised, such a numerous progeny 
is not surprising. Parallel instances 
in modern times are recited in abun- 
dance by eastern travellers. 

IT Whom he sent abroad. Or, Heb. 
rtSinn ha'hulzah, out of doors. That 
is, disposed of in marriage to other 
families. Hence the Vulg. para- 
phrastically, but not incorrectly, 
' Whom he sending abroad gave to 
husbands;' and so in the ensuing 
clause, ' Took wives for his sons of 
the same number, bringing them in- 
to his house.' Ibzan's lot, in this 



B. C. 1130. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



173 



Zebulonite, judged Israel, and 
he judged Israel ten years. 

12 And Elon the Zebulonite 
died, and was buried in Aijalon 
in the country of Zebulun. 

13 IT And after him Abdon the 
son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, 
judged Israel. 

14 And he had forty sons and 
thirty nephews, that e rode on 
threescore and ten ass colts : 
and he judged Israel eight years. 

15 And Abdon the son of Hii- 



respect, contrasted strikingly with 

that of his predecessor Jephthah. 

14. Thirty uepheus. That is, grand- 
sons ; Heb. tP^D *>12 bene banim, 
sons, of sons. On the opulence and dig- 
nity implied in riding upon white 
asses, see ch. 5. 10, and 10. 4. 

15. In the mount of the Amalclcites. 
For a probable account of the reason 
why this place was so called, see on 
ch. 5. 14. It does not appear certain 
that any thing remarkable took place 
in the civil state of the Israelites, 
during the time of these latter judges, 
though Lightfoot supposes, with 
some plausibility, that the forty 
years' oppression of the Philistines 
commenced in the days of Elon the 
Zebulonite, and was gradually wax- 
ing more and more severe through 
the subsequent administrations. Pre- 
vious, however, to the birth of Sam- 
son, it had not gained sufficient head 
to make it worthy of particular re- 
cord in the inspired narrative. But 
it has been well remarked, that the 
happiest life of individuals, and the 
happiest state of society, is that which 
affords the fewest remarkable events. 
The people, in the main, enjoyed 
peace without, and freedom from 
discord and sedition, though still the 

15* 



lei the Pirathonite died, and was 
buried in Pirathon in the land 
of Ephraim, f in the mount of 
the Amalekites. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

AND the children of Israel 
a did evil again in the sight 
of the Lord ; and the Lord de- 
livered them b into the hand of 
the Philistines forty years. 

e ch. 5. 10, and 10. 4. f ch. 3. 13, 27, and 5. 
14. a ch. 2. 11, and 3. 7. and 4. 1, and 6. 1, 
and 10. 6. b 1 Sam. 12. 9. 

leaven of their idolatrous propensi- 
ties was secretly working and pre- 
paring them for new troubles in the 
end. As to these several judges, the 
principal fact mentioned in regard to 
each is, that he lived, acted as judge, 
and died. Death, the lot of man, at 
last claims his due of the great and 
the good, and whatever else we may 
hear of any man, we are sure to hear 
one thing— that he died: unless in- 
deed our own departure hence anti- 
cipates his. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
1. Did evil again. Heb. I&'i&l 
iTTE33>i) yosiphu laaseth, added to com- 
mit ; i. e. by apostatizing from God's 
pure worship and falling into idola- 
try. See on ch. 3. 7, and 6. 11, and 

10. 6. IT Delivered them into the 

hand of the Philistines forty years. 
This period is not to be understood 
as constituting an interregnum be- 
tween Abdon and Samson, for this 
would not consist with the chronolo- 
gy given 1 Kings, 6. 1, or with the 
intimation v. 5 below, that the Israel- 
ites were already suffering under the 
rod of the Philistines when Samson 
was raised up for a deliverer. The 
probability is, as Samson is said to 



174 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161. 



2 IT And there was a certain 
man of c Zorah, of the family of 
the Danites, whose name was 
Manoah ; and his wife was 
barren, and bare not. 

3 And the d angel of the Lord 

c Josh. 19. 41. d ch. 6. 12. Luke 1. U, 
13, 28, 31. 

have 'judged Israel twenty years in 
the days of the Philistines, 1 d. e. dur- 
ing the period of their ascendency, 
that the other twenty is to be taken 
out of the times of the previous 
judges, which will carry us up at 
least to the time of Elon, as suggest- 
ed by Lightfool, ch. 12. 15, for the 
commencement of their oppression. 
In order to gain a still fuller view of 
the chain of events here recorded we 
must revert back to ch. 10. 6, 7, where 
it is said that the Lord was angry 
with his people, ' and sold them into 
the hands of the Philistines and into 
the hands of the children of Ammon.' 
Of these two servitudes, the last, with 
the deliverance from it by Jephthah, 
is treated first. This occupies the 
two preceding chapters. Having 
dispatched that, the historian now 
returns back and takes up the history 
of the other oppression, and brings it 
down to the death of Samson. 

2. A certain man of Zora. Of the 
city of Zora ; a town in the tribe of 
Judah, but afterwards given to Dan, 
being situated near the confines of 

each tribe. Josh. 15. 33. U Of the 

family of the Danites. That is, of 
the tribe of Dan. The word is pro- 
perly a collective singular for the 

plural. IF Was barren and bare not. 

An emphatic repetition in varied 
phrase, of frequent occurrence in the 
sacred writers. Thus Gen. 11. 30, 
1 But Sarai was barren ; she had no 



appeared unto the woman, and 
said unto her, Behold, now, thou 
art barren, and bearest not : but 
thou shalt conceive, and bear a 
son. 

4 Now therefore beware, I 
pray thee, and e drink not wine, 

e ver. 14. Num. 6. 2, 3. Luke 1. 15. 



child.' John 1. 3, { A11 things were 
made by him, and without him was 
not any thing made that was made.' 
v. 20, 'And he confessed, and denied 
not.' 'If Manoah's wife had not 
been barren, the angel had not been 
sent to her. Afflictions have this ad- 
vantage, that they occasion God to 
show that mercy to us, whereof the 
prosperous are incapable.' Bp. Hall 

3. The angel of the Lord. The 
uncreated angel, the Angel Jeho- 
vah, so often spoken of in the pre- 
ceding narrative, and who appeared 
to Moses, to Joshua, to Gideon, and 
others. Evidence of this will dis- 
close itself as we proceed. 

4. Beware — drink not wine, &c 
As the child, whose birth was now 
announced, was to be a Nazarite from 
the womb, the mother herself was to 
be subjected to the law of the Naza- 
rites, that the sanctification of her son 
might commence from herself. She 
must, during the period of gestation 
and nursing, abstain from wine and 
every inebriating liquor, and all 
kinds of forbidden food. Things 
that would be lawful at another time, 
were to be refrained from now. The 
nourishment of her child would par- 
take of the qualities of her own, and 
this future deliverer of Israel must 
be in the strictest manner and through 
every period an example of separa- 
tion and consecration to God. As it 
was designed also that he should be a 



B.C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



175 



nor strong drink, and eat not 
any unclean thing : 

5 For lo, thou shalt conceive, 
and bear a son ; and no f razor 
shall come on his head : for the 



fNum. 6. 5. ISam. i 11. 



person of superhuman strength, there 
was perhaps a fitness in the mother's 
temperance as a natural means to 
produce this result, though a mira- 
culous agency was requisite over 
and above all other means whatever. 
' The mother must conceive the on- 
ly giant of Israel, and yet must drink 
but water; neither must the child 
touch any other cup. Never wine 
made so strong a champion as water 
did here. He that gave that power 
to the grape, can give it to the stream. 
O God, how justly do we raise our 
eyes from our tables unto thee, which 
canst make water nourish and wine 

enfeeble us!' Bp. Hall. ^Eat ndt 

any unclean thing. Unclean meats 
were forbidden to all Israelites at all 
times ; but especially and pre-emi- 
nently so to the Nazarite, Lev. 11. 1- 
47. It was perhaps solely for this 
reason that the precept was repeated 
at this time and on this occasion ; 
though Scott supposes, not unrea- 
sonably, that the distinction of meals 
was not strictly observed at this time, 
as otherwise she would scarcely have 
needed such caution. 

5. No razor shall come on his head. 
Heb. 11131 i? ii&i yaaleh al rosho, 
shall go up on his head. The hair of 
his head shall neither be shorn nor 
shaven. Of this part of the Naza- 

rite's vow, see on Num. 6. IT For 

the child shall be a Nazarite unto God 
from the womb. For a full account 
of this peculiar feature of the Mo- 
saic institute, see on Num 6. — Ori- 



child shall be g a Nazarite unto 
God from the womb : and he 
shall b begin to deliver Israel out 
of the hand of the Philistines. 

e Num. 6. 2. h See 1 Sam. 7. 13. 2 Saia. 
8. 1. 1 Chron. IS. 1. 



ental usage at the present day affords 
a striking parallel to what is here 
recorded. 'All who are married in 
the East,' says Mr. Roberts, ' have an 
intense desire for children. It is con- 
sidered disgraceful, and a mark of 
the displeasure of the gods, to have 
a childless house. Under these cir- 
cumstances, husbands and wives per- 
form expensive ceremonies ; and vow 
that should the gods favor them with 
a son, ' no razor shall come upon his 
head,' (i. e. except upon the 'corners,') 
until he shall be ten or twelve years 
of age. In all schools, boys may be 
seen with elf-locks of ten or twelve 
years' standing, giving a testimony 
to the solicitude, superstition, ahd 
affection of the parents, and a me- 
morial of the favor of the gods. 

IFJEfe shall begin to deliver Israel. This 
intimated that Israel's oppression 
should endure long; for deliverance 
from it was not so much as to begin, 
not even the first step to be taken, 
till this child, now unborn, should 
grow up to years of maturity and be- 
come capable of undertaking it. And 
even then he was not to complete the 
deliverance ; he was only to begin it ; 
for the yoke of the Philistines was 
not fully shaken off the neck of Is- 
rael till the time of David. Thus 
' God carries on his work gradually, 
and by several hands. One lays the 
foundation of a good work, another 
builds, and perhaps a third brings 
forth the top-stone.' Henry. Christ 
on the other hand, the grea'j counter- 



176 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161 



6 IT Then the woman came and 
told her husband, saying, 'A man 
of God came unto me, and his 
k countenance was like the coun- 
tenance of an angel of God, very 
terrible : but I ' asked him not 
whence he was, neither told he 
me his name : 

7 But he said unto me, Behold, 

i Deut. 33. 1. 1 Sam. 2. 27, and 9. 6. 1 
Kings 17. 24. k Matt. 28. 3. Luke 9. 29. 
Acts 6. 15. 1 ver. 17, 18. 



part of Samson, both begins and per- 
fects his people's salvation ; he is at 
once the Author and Finisher of 
faith. 

6. A man of God. So called be- 
cause he appeared in human form, 
leading her to suppose him merely a 
prophet sent from God. So afterwards 
v. 8, 10, 11. She seems, however, to 
have had a strong suspicion that he 
was something more than human. 

IT Very terrible. Rather, perhaps, 

venerable, awful, full of majesty ; 
such as at once to inspire the deep- 
est respect and reverence ; so that 
according to every idea she could 
form on the subject, his countenance 
very much resembled that of an an- 
gel. 

8. Let the man of God — come again 
unto us, and teach us, &c. Josephus 
represents the second appearance of 
the angel as essential to Manoah's 
peace of mind, as his excessive at- 
tachment to his wife made him jeal- 
ous of her conversation with a stran- 
ger. But the narrative contains no- 
thing to warrant such an insinuation. 
On the other hand, his request ap- 
pears to have been prompted by a 
strong faith and a high esteem of the 
promised blessing, and a sincere de- 
sire to receive farther intimations of 



thou shalt conceive, and bear a 
son ; and now drink no wine 
nor strong drink, neither eat anj 
unclean thing : for the child 
shall be a Nazarite to God from 
the womb to the day of his death . 
8 TT Then Manoah entreated 
the Lord, and said, O my Lord, 
let the man of God which thou 
didst send come again unto us, 
and teach us what we shall do 
unto the child that shall be born. 



duty. He may have thought it pos- 
sible, too, that his wife's joy for the 
promise should have made her forget 
some part of the charge which the 
angel connected with it. On this 
point he would be fully informed ; he 
dreads the possibility of a mistake. 
' When I see the strength of Ma- 
noah's faith, I marvel not that he had 
a Samson to his son - he saw not the 
messenger, he heard not the errand, 
he examined not the circumstances; 
yet now he takes thought, not whethei 
he should have a son, but how he 
shall order the son which he mnsf 
have. Zecharias had the same mes- 
sage, and craving a sign lost the 
voice wherewith he craved it: Ma- 
noah seeks no sign for the promise, 
but counsel for himself. Happy arc 
they that have not seen, yet believed : 
true faith takes all for granted, yea, 
for performed, that is promised" 
Bp. Hall. The petition of Manoah 
reminds us also that the care of chil- 
dren is a great concern, and that those 
who have the parental relation in 
prospect can make no more suitable 
prayer at the throne of grace than 
that of the pious Danite on this occa- 
sion. Who upon the eve of becom- 
ing parents have not need to say, 
as saki Manoah. ' Teach tts what 



B.C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



177 



9 And God hearkened to the 
voice of Manoah ; and the angel 
of God came again unto the wo- 
man as she sat in the field : but 
Manoah her husband was not 
with her. 

10 And the woman made haste, 
and ran, and showed her hus- 
band, and said unto him, Behold, 
the man hath appeared unto me, 



that came unto me the other day. 

11 And Manoah arose, and 
went after his wife, and came to 
the man, and said unto him, Art 
thou the man that spakest unto 
the woman ? And he said, I am. 

12 And Manoah said, Now let 
thy words come to pass. How 
shall we order the child, and 
how shall we do unto him ? 



we shall do to the child that shall 
be born.' 

9. And God Jcearkened — and the 
angel of God came again. The 
phraseology here is worthy of notice. 
The sacred writer does not say, 'And 
God hearkened to the voice of Ma- 
noah, and sent his angel,' but 'God 
hearkened to the voice of Manoah, 
and the angel of God came again,' 
implying that it was the God who 
hearkened to the voice of his servant 
that came in the person of his Son. 
He perhaps appeared to Manoah's 
wife a second time rather than to 
Manoah himself, because she was 
more especially interested both in the 
blessing and the charge than he was. 
He may also have had other reasons 
unknown to us. The divine conde- 
scension in granting a repetition of 
the visit is too striking to be over- 
looked. How clearly does it prove 
that nothing is more acceptable to 
God, than a sincere desire to know 
our duty, and that sooner than our 
prayers to that effect shall go unan- 
swered, a heavenly messenger shall 
be sent for our instruction. But 
thanks be to God, with the Bible and 
the Holy Spirit for our guides we 
have no need of angelic instructions 
to direct us what to do. 

10. And the woman made haste and 
ran, &c. Doubtless after humbly 



entreating the messenger to stay, and 
obtaining his consent. Those who 
have met with a refreshing visit from 
God cannot but instinctively exclaim, 
'Return, O God of hosts, return;' and 
when the favor is granted, how ar- 
dently do they long that those who 
are near and dear to them may also 
share in the comfort and sweetness 
of their divine communion. What 
is the fellowship of husbands and 
wives if it extend not to a mutual 
communication of each other's reli- 
gious experience, of their hopes and 
fears, joys and sorrows 1 

12. Let thy words come to pass. 
This clause, as it reads in our trans- 
lation, is simply the expression of an 
earnest wish, that the promise gra- 
ciously made to his wife may be ful- 
filled. It is a kind of pious amen to 
the angel's previous announcement ; 
and this was probably his real feel- 
ing ; but the Heb. may properly be 
rendered, ' and now thy words shall 
come to pass,' intimating his most 
implicit confidence in the promise. 
' Lord, I lay hold upon what thou 
hast said, and depend upon it with 

the most unwavering assurance.' 

*HHow shall we order the child, and how 
shall vie do unto him ? Heb. ' what 
shall be the rule, prescription, insti- 
tution,(t35IEto mishpot,) in regard to 
the child, and what our doing (VlEjyfa 



178 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161. 



13 And the angel of the Lord 
said unto Manoah, Of all that I 
said unto the woman, let her 
beware. 

14 She may not eat of any 
thing that cometh of the vine, 
m neither let her drink wine or 
strong drink, nor eat any unclean 
thing : all that I commanded her 
let her observe. 

m ver. 4. 

maasehu,) towards him V That is, 
what shall be his training 1 how shall 
we educate him 1 The former term, 
which is usually translated judgment 
or ordinance, seems to imply the di- 
vine disposition or purpose in regard 
to the child, and the latter the proper 
mode of executing or accomplishing \t 
on their part. Though the literal 
rendering of 1!TD3>?2 is his work, or 
doing, yet the import is obviously 
what is done to or towards him, j ust 
as in Gen. 50. 4, the phrase, ' days of - 
his mourning,' means the days of 
mourning for him. So also Job 41. 
9. ' The hope of him (the leviathan) 
is vain,' i. e. the hope of taking him. 
13. And the angel of the Lord said, 
&c. It might seem at first view that 
the angel's answer was not pertinent 
to the question. Manoah inquired 
what conduct they should observe in 
regard to the child ; the angel in his 
reply merely reiterates the charge he 
had before given in respect to the 
mother. In explanation we may re- 
mark, that the child to be born was 
to be a Nazarite, set apart and conse- 
crated to God. Until the period of 
his birth, therefore, and while at the 
breast, she was, for his sake, to ab- 
stain from all the things inhibited 
above. But if it was solely for the 
child's sake that these commands 



15 IF And Manoah said unto 
the angel of the Lord, 1 pray 
thee, ° let us detain thee, until 
we shall have made ready a kid 
for thee. 

1 6 And the angel of the Lord 
said unto Manoah, Though thou 
detain me, I will not eat of thy 
bread : and if thou wilt offer a 
burnt-offering, thou must offer it 

n Gen. 18. 5. ch. 6. 18. 



were laid upon her, the inference 
would be very fair, that he also was 
to be taught to govern himself by the 
same rules, and it was the duty of 
his parents to see that this was the 
case. In fact it was this that consti- 
tuted the very essence of his Naza- 
rite state. The directions, therefore, ' 
relative to the child were really in- 
volved in those that had respect to 
the mother, and it would require no 
far-fetched construction so to under- 
stand them. The divine injunctions 
are not always given in the most di- 
rect form, but to a heart rightly dis- 
posed, they are always intelligible. 

15. Until we shall have made ready 
a kid for thee. Heb. "PUB^ lepaneka, 
before thee. Not yet aware of the 
true character of his visitor, Manoah 
proposed this as an act of hospitality. 

16. I will not eat of thy bread. As 
the proffer of Manoah was to serve 
up for the angel a dish of kid's flesh, 
the term ' bread 7 here must be taken 
with some latitude to signify food in 
general ; a sense which it evidently 
bears, 2 Kings 6. 22, 23; Matt. 6. 11. 
IT And if thou wilt offer a burnt- 
offering. Rather, ' but if thou wilt 
offer,' &c. To us this part of the an- 
gel's answer seems to be made, not 
so much to what Manoah actually 
said, as to what he was inwardly re* 



B.C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



179 



unto the Lord. For Manoah 
knew not that he was an angel 
of the Lord. 



volving in his own mind. If we 
mistake not, he had by this lime be- 
gun to entertain suspicions that the 
personage with whom he was con- 
versing was truly divine ; and if so, 
he could not but be aware that a sa- 
crificial offering was a more suitable 
expression of the sentiments with 
which he ought to regard him, than 
a common meal ; and as the tradition 
of Gideon's offering under similar 
circumstances at a former period, 
and the manner of his reception, had 
doubtless come down to him, he ap- 
pears to have been at this time wa- 
vering in his own mind, like his re- 
nowned predecessor, as to what 
should be the real character of the 
offering that he now proposed to 
make. The angel perceiving this, 
answers him accordingly. He does 
not forbid him to present a burnt- 
offering, but he would have him do 
it intelligently; he would have him 
assured as to the true character of 
the object of his worship. In saying. 
' If thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, 
thou must offer it unto the Lord,' he 
does not deny that he was himself 
Jehovah, or intimate that he would 
decline the honor which Manoah 
intended, any more than our Saviour 
would intimate that he was not good, 
when, being 'addressed by the title 
1 good master,' he replied, ' there is 
none good but God.' In both cases 
his answer has reference to the state 
of mind of the speaker, or to the light 
in which they regarded him. Here 
he merely intended to say, that 
though he might offer him a common 
meal as' a man, yet it would not do 



17 And Manoah said unto the 
angel of the Lord, What is thy 
name, that when thy sayings 



to offer him a sacrifice as such, or 
while he was not in possession of 
full evidence that the being he thus 
proposed to honor was indeed divine. 
This evidence he had not yet gained, 
and therefore it is immediately added, 
' For Manoah knew not (had not a 
clear conviction) that it was an angel 
(rather, the angel) of the Lord;' i. e. 
the Angel- Jehovah ; but he was soon 
to be assured that he was. The 
whole address of the angel appears 
to be framed with reference to the 
manifestation which he was just 
about to make. 

17. What is thy name ? Heb. 
yi'iD ^fa mi shemeka } who is thy 
name? Name, in reference to the 
Supreme Being, is in Scripture style 
very much the same as nature ; and 
we suppose this to be the real drift 
of Manoah's question, to learn the 
nature, the essential character of the 
mysterious being whom he address- 
ed ; for that he regarded him as a 
superhuman personage cannot, we 
think, be doubted from an attentive 
examination of the passage. At any 
rate, the answer of the angel, as we 
shall see, was adapted to such a scope 
in Manoah's interrogation. That he 
was prompted by somewhat of an un- 
hallowed curiosity in making the 
inquiry is indeed supposed by many 
commentators, but we see nothing in 
the text to warrant it. On the other 
hand, we know no reason to doubt 
that he was really actuated by the 
motive assigned, a disposition to ren- 
der him due honor and thanks when 
the promise should be fulfilled. 

18. Why askest thou thus after my 



ISO 



JUDGES 



[B. C. 1161. 



come to pass, we may do thee 
honor ? 
18 And the angel of the Lord 



name, seeing it is secret ? This has 
at first blush the air of a rebuke for 
putting such a question ; but compar- 
ing it with what follows we imagine 
it is such in appearance only. A re- 
buke supposes something criminal 
or censurable in him who is the sub- 
ject of it. But what offence could 
attach to a respectful and reverential 
question of t h is kin d 1 W hy was th e 
mere secresy of the name a reason for 
its not being asked 1 Was it not in 
fact for this very reason that he did 
ask it 1 We admit, indeed, that if 
Manoah had been previously inform- 
ed that the name was ineffable — that 
it was designed to be kept a profound 
secret — he would have been guilty 
of high presumption in demanding 
it. But we see no evidence of this in 
any part of the sacred text, and con- 
clude therefore that the angel made 
use of this interrogative form of 
speech merely in order to introduce 
in the most suitable and impressive 
manner the declaration that follows, 
constituting the real point of his re- 
ply. ' It is secret ;'— or rather as in 
the margin, ' It is wonderful,' for so 
the original (^^5 peli,) properly 
implies, and so it is expressly ren- 
dered, Is. 9. 6, ' His name shall be 
called Wonderful (&x£ pele) ; i. e. his 
nature, his character, shall be won- 
derful ; properly implying that kind 
of wonder which is the natural effect 
of miracles, of marvellous and super- 
human works. In apparently declin- 
ing, therefore, to reveal his name, he 
does in fact make known one of his 
most august and glorious titles, one 



said unto him, "Whyaskest thou 
thus after my name, seeing it is 
secret ? 



o Gen. 32, 29. 



which went far towards conveying 
an idea of the divine attributes of his 
nature, and one which was therefore 
eminently appropriate to the drift of 
Manoah's question. The implica- 
tion probably is, 'You have scarcely 
any real occasion to inquire as to 
my name (nature) ; it is obvious 
from the words, promises, and ac- 
tions already witnessed and yet fur- 
ther to be displayed, that J" am, and 
am therefore to be called Peli, the 
Admirable One, the great Worker of 
wonders, the Master of miracles. 1 
The original i»*)B has the form of a 
proper name, but the force of an ap- 
pellative. Whether he fully under- 
stood its entire import, is perhaps to 
be doubted; but whether he did or 
not, the declaration is to us, con- 
sidered in one point of view, im- 
mensely important ; for by assuming 
a title which unquestionably belongs 
to the promised Messiah, he identifies 
himself with that divine personage, 
and consequently puts it beyond a 
doubt who it is that is meant by the 
term ' Angel,' or 'Angel of the Lord/ 
so frequently occurring in the Old 
Testament Scriptures, in connection 
with miraculous appearances and 
revelations. It is plain that it is no 
other than the Angel-Jehovah, so 
emphatically alluded to in Ex. 23, 
20, 21, ' Behold I send an Angel be- 
fore thee, to keep thee in the way, 
and to bring thee into the place which 
I have prepared. Beware of him, 
and obey his voice, provoke him 
not; for he will not pardon your 
transgressions ; for my name is in 



B. C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



1S1 



19 So Manoah took a kid, with 
a meat-offering, p and offered it 
upon a rock unto the Lord ; and 
the angel did wondrously, and 
Manoah and his wife looked on. 

20 For it came to pass, when 
the flame went up toward heav- 
en from off the altar, that the 
angel of the Lord ascended 
in the flame of the altar, and 
Manoah and his wife looked on 

P ch. 6. 19, 20. 



him ;' i. e. my nature is in him ; he 
possesses true and essential divinity. 
The exalted character, therefore, 
which he claimed by the assumption 
of this title, he proceeded to display 
still more fully in the incident that 
followed. 

19. Manoah took a kid — and offered 
it, &c. He had by this time become 
so far satisfied as to the real charac- 
ter of his guest, that he no longer 
doubted in what manner to express 
his grateful and reverential feelings 
towards him. He determines to do 
this by offering the kid as a holocaust 
accompanied with the usual meal or 
flour-offering, (erroneously rendered 
' meat-offering,') which the law pre- 
scribed. For this purpose he selects 
a rock, as did Gideon upon a like oc- 
casion, ch. 6. 20. 21, instead of an 
altar. Large masses of stone, of va- 
rious forms, some of which are well 
adapted to such a use, frequently oc- 
cur in the plains and valleys of Ju- 
dea, and other hilly countries. Some 
of these are seen in their natural po- 
sition, rising out of the ground, while 
others appear as detached fragments, 
thrown down from the rocky eminen- 
ces. To such insulated masses of 
rock there are repeated references in 

the Scriptures. IT And the angel 

16 



it, and q fell on their faces to the 
ground. 

21 But the angel of the Lord 
did no niore appear to Manoah 
and to his wife. r Then Manoah 
knew that he was an angel of 
the Lord. 

22 And Manoah said unto his 
wife, s We shall surely die, be- 
cause we have seen God. 

q Lev. 9. 24. 1 Chron. 21. 16. Ezek. I. 
28. Matt. 17. 6. r ch. 6. 22. s Gen. 32. 30. 
Ex. 33. 20. Deut.5.26. ch. 6. 22. 



did wondrously. Heb. JsO^Sfa ma- 
phlia; in correspondence with the 
name which he had before attributed 
to himself. Being wonderful, he per- 
formed wonderful things ; probably 
causing fire to arise out of the rock, 
and consume the sacrifice ; and we 
are expressly told that he afterwards 
ascended in the flame. The word 
' angel,' it is true, does not occur in 
the original, but from the tenor of 
the narrative there can be no doubt 
who is intended. 

21. Then Manoah knew that he was 
an angel of the Lord. Rather, ' that 
he was the angel ;' the divine un- 
created angel ; the Angel- Jehovah. 
He was now fully and undoubtingly 
assured. This put the finishing 
stroke to the process of conviction 
which from the commencement of 
the interview had been going on in 
Manoah's mind. 

22. We shall surely die, because we 
have seen God. Perceiving that the 
personage who had now appeared to 
him w r asno other than God in human 
shape, he conceived, according to 
popular belief, that both he and his 
wife must die. This idea was not 
without some foundation ; for when 
Moses had entreated the Lord to 
show him his glory, he answered, 



182 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1161, 



23 But his wife said unto him, 
If the Lord were pleased to kill 
us, he would not have received 
a burnt-offering and a meat- 
offering at our hands, neither 
would he have showed us all 
these things, nor would as at 

i Thou canst not see my face; for 
there shall no man see me and live ;' 
and for this very reason God put him 
into a cleft of a rock, and permitted 
him to see, as it were, only ' his back 
parts,' a very partial display of his 
glory, So when Jacob had been fa- 
vored with a visit from the same 
divine person in the shape of an an- 
gel, he expressed his astonishment, 
that ' his life was preserved,' Gen. 
32. 29, 30. From these passages we 
may learn the grounds of the pre- 
vailing impressions on the subject. 
But while we do not wonder at the 
apprehensions of Manoah, we the 
more admire the composure of his 
wife. She argued in a directly dif- 
ferent way. She considered the mer- 
cies already vouchsafed to them as 
tokens for good ; for why should God 
confer such singular honor upon 
them, if he intended to kill them? 
"Why did he accept the burnt-offer- 
ing at their hands 1 Why stoop to 
impart to them such information 1 
Why give them such gracious pro- 
mises 1 Was all this done to mock 
them? Indeed, if he should kill 
them, how could the promises be ful- 
filled % or for what purpose were they 
given 1 The honor of the divine ve- 
racity therefore required that they 
should be preserved. This was a 
just mode of arguing ; for such mer- 
cies were both evidences and pledges 
of his love ; and therefore were 
rather to be considered as earnests of 



this time have told us such 
things as these. 

24 H And the woman bare a 
son, and called his name l Sam- 
son. And u the child grew, and 
the Lord blessed him. 

t Heb. 11. 32. u 1 Sam. 3. 19. Luke 1. 

80, and 2. 52. 



future blessings, than as harbingers 
of ill. The woman in this showed 
herself not only the strongest believ- 
er, but the wisest reasoner. The in- 
cidents related may teach us, (l)That 
in times of dark and discouraging 
providences or sore temptations we 
should remember the past experience 
of God's goodness as a ground of 
present support. 'Account the long 
suffering of God to be salvation.' He 
that hath so kindly helped us and 
dealt with us hitherto, means not to 
destroy us at last. (2) That the sin- 
ner oppressed with a sense of his de- 
serts has no reason to despair. Let 
him remember what Christ has done 
for him by his bloody sacrifice, and 
read in it a sure proof, that he does 
not design his death. 

23. Nor would as at this time, &c. 
Or, Heb. ' at this time.' The ex- 
pression is perhaps designed to be 
emphatical , implying that God's mer- 
cy was greatly enhanced by being 
afforded to them at this particular 
time, a time of general calamity, 
when the word of the Lord was pre- 
cious, and there was no open vision. 
1 Sam. 3. 1. 

24. Called his name Samson. Heb. 
yi IB fa to Shimshon. The root is un- 
doubtedly IBfaffi shemesh, the sun, but 
what relation the name was intended 
to bear to this object, we are no 
where informed. Schmid conjec- 
tures that it was in allusion to the 
shining countenance of the angel 



B. C. 1161.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



183 



25 x And the Spirit of the 
Lord began to move him at 
times in the camp of Dan, y be- 
tween Zorah and Eshtaol. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

AND Samson went down a to 
Timnath, and b saw a wo- 



x ch. 3. 10. 1 Sam. 11. 
y Josh. 15. 33. ch. IS. 11. 



6. Matt. 4. 1. 



when he first appeared to Manoah's 
wife. Perhaps, or a still more proba- 
ble supposition is, that it was in mem- 
ory of the resplendent brightness in 
which his whole person may for a 
moment have been arrayed just as he 

departed from their sight. H And 

the Loid blessed him. Gave evident 
proofs that the child was under his 
peculiar protection; blessed him by 
qualifying him both in body and 
mind for something great and extra- 
ordinary. 

25. The Spirit of the Lord began 
to move him at times. To stir him 
up to bold exploits ; inspiring him, 
in view of the degrading bondage of 
his countrymen, with an ardent zeal 
to do something towards their deliv- 
erance. Under this supernatural 
impulse he was led from time to time 
to put forth astonishing specimens of 
valor and strength, such perhaps as 
his slaying the lion, ch. 14. 6 ; achieve- 
ments which clearly evinced his de- 
signation of heaven for the work to 
which he was called and set apart. 
The import of the original (E3>5;b 
lepaamo) for ' moved,' is peculiar. 
As E3>5 paam, the radical form, sig- 
nifies an anvil, the metaphor is pro- 
bably drawn from the repeated and 
somewhat violent strokes of the work- 
man with his hammer. It implies 
therefore a peculiar urgency, an im- 



man in Timnath of the daugh- 
ters of the Philistines. 

2 And he came up, and told 
his father and his mother, and 
said, I have seen a woman in 
Timnath of the daughters of the 
Philistines : now therefore c get 
her for me to wife. 

a Gen. 38. 13. Josh. 15. 10. b Gen. 34. 2, 
c Gen. 21. 21, and 34. 4. 



pelting influence on the part of the 
Spirit, which made its subject invin- 
cible. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

1. Samson loent down to Timnath. 
A frontier town of Dan, lying close 
upon the borders of the Philistines' 
country. It originally belonged to 
Judah, but was afterwards assigned, 
to Dan. It was situated about twenty 
miles west of Jerusalem, and about 
twelve north-east of Eshtaol. There 
evidently had been some remissness 
on the part of Israel in driving out 
the Philistines from this place, but 
as the latter had now the upper hand, 
it is not surprising that they dwelt in 
the cities of the former, whom they 
had probably put under tribute, and 
although the two races were in an 
attitude of hostility towards each 
other, yet it seems not at this time to 
have interrupted all intercourse be- 
tween them. Indeed the terms on 
which the Israelites lived and min- 
gled with their devoted neighbors the 
Canaanites, as is evident from many 
parts of their history, were such as 
we should scarcely have expected 
from people so related. But 'the 
holy seed ' in all ages has been too 
prone to cultivate intimacies and 
form alliances with the world of the 
ungodly. 



184 



JUDGES 



[B. C. 1141 



3 Then his father and his mo- 
ther said unto him, Is there 
never a woman among the 
daughters of d thy brethren, or 

a Gen. 24. 3, 4. 

2. Get her for me to wife. That is, 
take measures for that purpose ; en- 
deavor to bring it about. No part of 
the Scripture has afforded more oc- 
casion for the doubts of sceptics, or 
the scoffs of infidels, than the history 
of Samson. His character is indeed 
dark, and almost inexplicable. By 
none of the judges of Israel did God 
work so many miracles, and yet by 
none were so many faults committed. 
He is enrolled by Paul in the list of 
ancient worthies, in the eleventh of 
Hebrews, which affords a strong pre- 
sumption, though not, we conceive, 
a positive proof, of his being a truly 
pious man. It must be recollected, 
however, that his history is very 
short, and that the peculiarity of the 
dispensation under which he lived, 
may account for many things, which, 
if done at this time and without the 
special appointment of Heaven, 
would be highly criminal. Besides, 
there may have been in him many 
exercises of true piety, which, if re- 
corded, would have reflected a differ- 
ent light upon his character. In the 
present instance, it must be admitted 
that his conduct in suffering his af- 
fections to be ensnared by a Philis- 
tine woman, had an ill appearance. 
Marriage connexions with the Phil- 
istines, who were not of the devoted 
nations, were not indeed prohibited 
to the Israelites by the letter of the 
law, though by its spirit they un- 
doubtedly were. The danger of 
being enticed to idolatry was the rea- 
son of the law as it respected allianc- 



among all my people, that thou 
goest to take a wife of the e un- 
circumcised Philistines ? And 
Samson said unto his father, 

e Gen. 34. 14. Ex. 34. 16. Deut. 7. 3. 



es with the Canaanites, and this rea- 
son we cannot but suppose was 
equally applicable to connexions 
with the Philistines. Still the law 
was merely ceremonial, and if God 
saw fit to dispense with it in regard 
to any of his servants, he could do so 
unimpeached. That this was the 
case in the present instance, there are 
strong grounds from the actual event 
to believe. At least, we do not feel at 
liberty, from a view of the facts re- 
corded, to pronounce positively a sen- 
tence of condemnation on this part 
of Samson's conduct. But whatever 
judgment we may form of the meas- 
ure on the whole, his mode of pro- 
cedure was in one respect highly de- 
serving of commendation. He took 
no step towards forming the connex- 
ion, not even so much as paying his 
addresses to her, without first mak- 
ing his parents acquainted with the 
matter, and obtaining their consent. 
In his example we read an admoni- 
tion that addresses itself to all child- 
ren in similar circumstances. Next 
to the sanction of heaven, the con- 
currence of parents is requisite to 
render that relation a source of com- 
fort and happiness to the parties con- 
cerned. Consulting them is consult- 
ing our own welfare, as well as acting 
up to the spirit of the divine injunc- 
tion in the fifth commandment. 

3. 7s there never a woman, &c. 
His parents, aware of the divine pro- 
hibitions relative to foreign alliances, 
and also of the high and solemn de- 
signation of their son, of course re- 



B.C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



185 



Get her for me ; for she pleaseth i knew not that it teas f of the 

me Well. f Josh . n . 2 0. 1 Kings 12. 15. 2 Kings 

4 But his father and his mother 6. 33. 2 chnm. 10. 15, and 22. 7, and 25. uo. 



raonstrate with him and endeavor to 
dissuade him from whai they con- 
ceived so imprudent and unbecom- 
ing a connexion. They inquire 
whether among the daughters of his 
'brethren.' i. e. of the tribe of Dan, 
he could not find a more suitable ob- 
ject of choice. If not, there was the 
whole nation of Israel — ' all my peo- 
ple,' — that afforded him a field of se- 
lection. Why then should he have 
occasion to go to the daughters of a 
heathen race 1 ' I wish,' says an old 
divine, ' that Manoah and his wife 
could speak so loud that all our Is- 
rael could hear them.' By nothing 
is the heart of a pious parent more 
grieved than by the prospect of the 
unequal yoking of his children 
with profane or irreligious partners ; 
for he knows that nothing is so likely 
to prove injurious to their spiritual 
interests, and subject them to heart- 
rending trials. IT For she pleaseth 

me well. Heb. "TOa nW KVJ hi 
yasherah beenai, she is right in mine 
eyes. Taking these words in con- 
nexion with what is said in the next 
verse, we very much doubt whether 
our present translation does full jus- 
tice to Samson's motives. According 
to this, he urges no stronger reason 
for the step proposed than that the 
woman pleased his fancy, and for 
aught that appears from the rendering 
it was on this ground alone that his 
parents acceded to his request. But 
if they conceived the measure to be 
directly contrary to the precepts of the 
law, how could they, as true believ- 
ers and obedient servants of God, 
yield their consent and co-operation, 
16* 



merely to gratify the headstrong pas- 
sion of their son, unless they had 
some intimation that God himself 
had authorized in this instance a de- 
parture from his established ordi- 
nance ] Should we look for such a 
concession to human infirmity from 
the pious pair who had so devoutly 
entertained a messenger from heav- 
en, and listened to his commands 1 
The fact is, if we mistake not, Sam- 
son does not intend mainly to say in 
these words, ' she is well-pleasing in 
my sight,' for the original word is 
not an adjective, having the sense of 
beautiful, engaging, attractive, but 
a verb conveying indeed the idea of 
right,bm of right relative to an end, 
purpose, or object ; in other words, of 
fitness or adaptation. See Gussetius 
on the root "itt;' 1 yasliar, and compare 
the use of it, 2 Sam. 17. 4 ; 1 Kings 
9.12; 2 Chron. 30; Num. 23.27. 
This then we conceive affords the 
true clue to Samson's meaning ; 'She 
is right in my eyes ;' i. e. adapted to 
the end which I have in view ; she 
may be used, she is available for a 
purpose entirely ulterior to the im- 
mediate connexion which I propose. 
That Samson, however, entertained 
a genuine affection for the woman, 
and was not influenced solely by views 
of policy in the transaction, we see 
no reason to doubt. But that he in- 
tended at the same time to make this 
alliance subservient to the great pur- 
pose of delivering his country from 
oppression, there are very strong 
grounds for believing. 

4. But his father and his mother 
knew not, &c. These words appear 



186 



JUDGES. 



[B. C 1141 



Lord, that he sought an occa- 
sion against the Philistines : for 



ro be inserted parenthetically for the 
purpose of intimating the reason to 
which it was owing, that Samson's 
parents declined giving their consent 
to the proposed marriage. They did 
not know God's purposes in respect 
to it. Had they known them, the im- 
plication is that their decision would 
have been different ; and as we learn 
from the next verse that their objec- 
tions were overruled, and that they 
went with their son to Timnath in 
reference, to the object of his suit, the 
inference is fair, that in some way 
they did become acquainted with the 
divine counsels. Their going is to be 
considered, we think, rather in the 
light of an acquiescence in the will 
of heaven, than of a yielding to the 
mere importunities of their son. In 
what particular manner they became 
enlightened in respect to the ultimate 
bearings of the measure, we are not 
informed, and must of course be left 
to mere conjecture. To us it appears 
most probable that Samson frankly 
laid open to them all his mind, and 
that in these disclosures they saw 
satisfactory evidence that he was 
moved by the Spirit of God in this 
transaction in a way that they did not 

dare to resist. IT That he sought an 

occasion against the Philistines. That 
is, an occasion of avenging the 
wrongs inflicted by the Philistines on 
the Israelites. It is worthy of note 
that the Hebrew, instead of ' against 
the Philistines,' has, ' of or from the 
Philistines ;' clearly implying that 
the occasion sought should be one 
that originated on the side of the 
Philistines. The sense exhibited by 



at that time g the Philistines had 
dominion over Israel. 

g ch. 13. 1. Dent. £8. 48. 



our common rendering is not indeed 
essentially different from this, but we 
prefer to express the exact shade of 
the original wherever it can be done. 
As far as the grammatical construc- 
tion is concerned, there is nothing to 
prevent this being understood of the 
Lord himself as the proper subject of 
the verb. But it seems on the whole 
more natural and. plausible to under- 
stand it of Samson — that he sought 
occasion against the Philistines — 
though at the same time with the 
connivance and under the prompting 
of the Most High, who saw fit in this 
indirect way to bring about the ac- 
complishment of his designs of retri- 
bution towards his enemies. If it be 
asked why infinite wisdom chose to 
adopt this peculiar method of com- 
passing the object, although our ina- 
bility to answer the question would 
not at all affect the claims of the sa- 
cred narrative, yet it may be sug- 
gested, that the reason is perhaps to 
be drawn from the special design of 
God in raising up Samson as a de- 
liverer. His leading purpose in this 
seems to have been to baffle the. pow- 
er of the whole Philistine nation by the 
prowess of a single individual. The 
champion of Israel therefore was not 
appointed so much to be the leader 
of an army like the other judges, as 
to be an army in himself. In order 
then that the contest might be carried 
on in this way, it was necessary that 
the entire opposition of the Philis- 
tines should be concentrated, as far 
as possible, against the person of Sam- 
son. This would array the contend- 
ing parties precisely in such an atti- 



B.C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



187 



tude as to illustrate most signally the 
power of God in the overthrow of 
his enemies. But how could this re- 
sult be brought about except by means 
of some private quarrel between Sam- 
son and the enemy with which he 
was to contend 1 and who can say 
that the scheme now projected was 
not the very best that could have been 
devised for accomplishing the end 
which God had in view 1 To what 
extent Samson foresaw all the events 
that were to grow out of this transac- 
tion, or how far he had a plan dis- 
tinctly laid corresponding with the 
results that actually ensued, it is dif- 
ficult to determine. The probability, 
we think, is that he had rather a gen- 
eral strong impression, wrought by 
the Spirit of God, than & definite con- 
ception, of the train of events that 
were to transpire. It was, however, a 
conviction as to the issue sufficiently 
powerful to warrant both him and 
his parents in going forward with the 
measure. They were in some way 
assured that they were engaged in a 
proceeding which God would over- 
rule to the furtherance of his designs 
of mercy to his people and of judg- 
ment to their oppressors. God fore- 
saw, though they did not, how base- 
ly and perfidiously his wife's friends 
and relations would act towards Sam- 
son, and what just grounds of war 
would on this account arise. In all 
this, however, they would act freely 
and without compulsion, so that there 
would be no injustice in their pun- 
ishment; and what should prevent 
the righteous Lord God from avail- 
ing himself of his omniscience in 
working out to his enemies the due 

recompense of their deeds'? ILFor 

at that time the Philistines had do- 
minion over Israel. Added in order 



to intimate the general moving cause 
which prompted Samson to exert 
himself in behalf of his people. They 
were suffering under the despotic and 
tyrannical sway of their oppressors. 
It was in this fact that a justifica- 
tion was to be sought for the com- 
mencement of hostilities. Schmid, 
however, expresses the belief that a 
still deeper sense is couched under 
these words, viz. that they are intend- 
ed to assign a reason why Samson 
should have felt it necessary to seek 
any occasion at all for entering upon 
warlike operations. His curious 
conceit on the subject is as follows ; 
— The Philistines, although they 
were now cruelly oppressing the Is- 
raelites, yet by the acknowledged 
rights of war, they had justly acquir- 
ed this dominion over them, and such 
is God's abhorrence of all rebellions 
and insurrections against existing 
powers, that they were not at liberty, 
on the simple plea or pretence of 
tyranny, to endeavor to shake off the 
yoke. Consequently some just occa- 
sion was to be sought as a warrant 
for the attempt, and unless such a 
plausible pretext should arise, our 
commentator would have us under- 
stand that the bare fact of the Philis- 
tines' having the ascendency over Is- 
rael was a sufficient reason for their 
abstaining from all efforts to regain 
their liberties. This he supposes to 
be the genuine drift of the illative 
' for ' in the clause before us. Sam- 
son sought an occasion against the 
Philistines, 'for (because) at that 
time the Philistines had dominion 
over Israel,' and therefore it would 
be unlawful to rise against them 
without such an occasion ! In con- 
nexion with this exposition he quotes 
with applause the remarks of Brent, 



188 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1141. 



5 IT Then went Samson down, 
and his father and his mother, 
to Timnath, and came to the 
vineyards of Timnath : and be- 
hold, a young lion roared against 
him. 



commending the singular prudence 
and moderation of Samson, that al- 
though he had ample grounds in the 
divine commission implied in the 
very fact of his being raised up and 
set apart as a national deliverer, yet 
to avoid offence, he will not under- 
take the work till a just and legiti- 
mate cause of war occurs. All this 
reasoning, savoring as it does so 
strongly of the doctrine of passive 
obedience, we leave to the reader to 
estimate according to its worth ; but 
we believe a much more correct view 
of the reason of Samson's ' seeking 
an occasion against the Philistines is 
given in a preceding note. If a ge- 
neral movement had been made by 
the Israelites for the assertion of their 
liberties, an equally general attempt 
to crush it would of course have 
been made on the other side. But 
God designed that Samson personally 
should be the butt of the enemies' 
wrath and machinations, that he 
might display his own glory in con- 
quering them by the might of a sin- 
gle arm. 

5. Then went Samson down, and 
his father and his mother. Having 
changed their minds ; having yielded 
to the evidence that he was under a 
divine prompting in the measure 

proposed. U Behold a young lion 

roared against him. Heb. *PB5 TOH 
ItlfcOp^ 3&W JTP'na hinneh Tcephir 
arayoth shoeg likratho, behold, a young 
lion of the lionesses roaring in his 
meeting. From v. 6 it is obvious that 



6 And h the Spirit of the Lord 
came mightily upon him, and he 
rent him as he would have rent 
a kid, and he had nothing in his 

h ch. 3. 10, and 13. 25. 1 Sam. 11. 6. 



his parents were not with him when 
this remarkable incident occurred. 
' He was all alone in the vineyards, 
whither he had rambled from his 
father and mother (who kept the high 
road) probably to eat grapes. Chil- 
dren consider not that they expose 
themselves to the roaring lion that 
seeks to devour, when, out of a fool- 
ish fondness for liberty, they wander 
from under the eye of their prudent, 
pious parents. Nor do young people 
consider what lions lurk in the vine- 
yards, the vineyards of red wine, as 
dangerous as snakes under the green 
grass.' Henry. It is to be observed, 
that ' young lion ' does not here mean 
a whelp, for which the Hebrew has 
quite a different word, but a young 
lion arrived at its full strength and 
size, when it is far more fierce than 
at a later period. It is evident from 
this and other passages of Scripture, 
that lions formerly existed in Judea. 
We do not know that they are now 
to be met with in that country ; but 
this is not surprising, as numerous 
instances might be cited of the dis- 
appearance of wild animals, in the 
course of time, from countries where 
they were once well known. 

6. The Spirit of the Lord came 
mightily upon him. Well rendered 
from the original, which is in nu- 
merous instances employed to sig- 
nify a supernatural influence raising 
the bodily or mental powers to an 
unwonted pitch of energy, clothing 
one with courage, fortitude, skill, 



B. C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



189 



hand : but he told not his father 

or his mother what he had done. 

7 And he went down, and 

■wisdom, and strength, and enabling 
him to perform achievements to 
which his unassisted powers would 
be entirely unequal. The expression 
seems to denote an occasional illapse 
of this kind of influence, and it may 
be doubted whether even Samson 
was able ordinarily to display these 
prodigies of valor and prowess which 
he from time to time put forth, 
though perhaps habitually a stronger 

man than others IT Told not his 

father or his mother. An instance of 
singular discretion, modesty, and 
self-control, view it in whatever 
light we may. How few people are 
there in the world, who, if they had 
performed such an exploit as this, 
would have suffered it to remain hid 
from their dearest friends. But the 
presumption is, that before this Sam- 
son himself was not fully aware of 
the extent to which ' the power of 
the Highest rested on him,' and with- 
out a disiinct foresight of the events 
that followed, he may still have con- 
cluded that to divulge the possession 
of such astonishing strength would 
be likely to defeat the ends to which 
it might be applied. He would not 
therefore betray so important a se- 
cret, — not even to his own parents, 
lest a premature disclosure, by put- 
ting his enemies on their guard, 
should render the endowment com- 
paratively useless. 

7. And talked vrith the woman. 
Rather according to the Heb. ID-p 
tWOfc yedabber laishah, talked con- 
cerning the v:oman. Marriages in 
the East, from the earliest periods, 
have always been arranged by pa- 



talked with the woman ; and 
she pleased Samson well. 
8 if And after a time he return- 



rents in behalf of their children. It 
was doubtless so in the present case. 
Indeed, for what other purpose did 
his parents go down 1 According to 
the letter, indeed, the talking is re- 
ferred to Samson, and he undoubted- 
ly had a voice in it, but not, w r e ima- 
gine, to the exclusion of his father 
and mother. The whole three ne- 
gotiated the matter with the parents 
of the young woman. 

8. After a time he relumed to take 
her. An interval of some time, usu- 
ally ten or twelve months, elapsed 
between the ceremony of espousals 
and the marriage. During this time 
the betrothed bride remained with 
her parents, that she might provide 
herself with nuptial ornaments suita- 
ble to her station ; after which the 
bridegroom came to fetch her home 
and take her fully as his wife. The 
Jews still keep up this custom ; the 
parties being betrothed at least six 
or twelve months before marriage. 
During this interval, oriental usage 
appears to have allowed to the par- 
ties but slight communication with 
each other. Yet what little inter- 
course they had at all previous to 
marriage, seems to have been restrict- 
ed to this term. For, ' in point of 
fact, we apprehend,' says the editor 
of the Pictorial Bible, ' that the be- 
trothal was considered necessary to 
enable a young man to pay to a wo- 
man even that limited degree of par- 
ticular attention which eastern man- 
ners allowed.' This suggestion still 
further confirms the idea advanced 
above respecting the 'talking' there 
alluded to. It is quite improbable 



190 JUDGES. 



ed to take her, and he turned 
aside to see the carcass of the 
lion : and behold, there was a 
swarm of bees and honey in the 
carcass of the lion. 

9 And he took thereof in his 
hands, and went on eating, and 

that it should have taken place be- 
tween Samson and the young woman 
herself. The kind of intimacy ex- 
pressed by the word { courtship,' and 
so familiar to European manners, 
appears to have been from remote 
antiquity entirely unknown in the 

East. IT Turned aside to see the 

carcass of the lion. Heb. ro&fa map- 
peleth, the ruins, the fallen heap. 
1 Whilst Samson concealed the event 
from others, he pondered it in him- 
self; and when he returned to Tim- 
nathj went out of the way to see his 
dead adversary, and could not but 
recall to himself his danger and de- 
liverance ; " Here the beast met me ; 
thus he fought; thus I slew him!" 
The very dead lion taught Samson 
thankfulness. The mercies of God 
are ill bestowed upon us, if we can- 
not step aside to view the monuments 
of his deliverances. As Samson had 
not found his honey-comb, if he had 
not turned aside to see his lion, so we 
shall lose the comfort of God's bene- 
fits, if we do not renew our perils by 

meditation.' Bp. Hall. HA swarm 

of bees and honey in the carcass. In 
one respect the preceding note is 
strikingly confirmed by the present 
text. It is evident that several 
months must have elapsed between 
the first and second visit to Timnath, 
in order to allow time for the carcass 
of the lion to become reduced to a 
dry naked skeleton. The cleanly 
habits of bees, and their repugnance 



[B. C. 1141. 

came to his father and mother, 
and he gave them, and they did 
eat : bat he told not them that 
he had taken the honey out of 
the carcass of the lion. 

10 TT So his father went down 
unto the woman : and Samson 



to impure smells, would not other- 
wise have permitted them to select it 
as a habitation. The beautiful epi- 
sode in the fourth Georgic of Virgil, 
proves that the ancients believed that 
bees might be engendered in the dead 
body of an ox. 

9. And he took thereof in his hands. 
Heb.imT 1 yirdehu,from till radah, 
to subdue, a very peculiar term to be 
applied to the act of ' taking ' a quan- 
tity of honey from its place of depo- 
sit, be that what it might. The most 
common Hebrew word for ' take,' is 
np^, lakali and if nothing more is 
meant in the present case than the sim- 
ple act so denominated, why is not the 
usual term employed? We adopt 
the suggestion of Schmid in reply, 
that a word was purposely chosen 
which should imply some resistance 
and difficulty in getting possession 
of the prize ; that it was not without 
an encounter, and a species of subju- 
gation, that he succeeded in wrest- 
ing the honey from the bees ; such 
at any rate is the import of the word, 
whatever be the reason of its use. 

10. His father went doivn unto the 
woman. Rendered by the Chaldaic, 
' went down relative to the affair of 
the woman ;' a sense of the words 
decidedly approved by the Jewisn 
critic David Kimchi. From the con- 
nexion it appears moreover, quite 
evident that Samson's father here is 
not to be understood exclusive of Sam- 
son himself. The probability is, that 



B. C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



191 



made there a feast ; for so used 
the young men to do. 

11 And it came to pass, when 
they saw him, that they brought 
thirty companions to be with 
him. 



both his father and mother and a 
company of friends attended him on 
the occasion, but the father alone, as 
the natural head of the party, is men- 
tioned. Compare with this the Note 

on v. 7. ^And Samson made there 

a feast. A wedding feast, such as is 
customary all over the East, as well 
as in most other countries, during 
which every species of merriment 
prevails. This nuptial festivity used 
to continue seven days, as we see 
from v. 12 compared with Gen. 29. 
27. After this the bride was brought 
home by, or to her husband. We 
must understand probably, in con- 
formity with existing usages in the 
East, that Samson made his feast at 
the house of some acquaintance, or 
in one hired for the occasion, as his 
own house was distant; while at the 
same time the woman entertained 
her female friends and relatives at 
her father's house. The different 
sexes never feasted together on these 
or any other occasions, and the bride 
and bridegroom did not even give 
their respective entertainments in the 
same house, unless under very pecu- 
liar circumstances. In reading this 
narrative we must not forget that 
Samson was a mere sojourner at 

Timnath. ^So used the young men 

to do. ' I do not hear Samson plead 
his Nazaritism for a color of singu- 
larity; it is both lawful and fit, in 
things not prohibited, to conform 
ourselves to the manners and rites 
of those with whom we live. God 



12 IF And Samson said unto 
them, I will now ' put forth a 
riddle unto you : if ye can cer- 
tainly declare it me k within the 



2. 



1 Kings 10. 1. 
k Gen. 29. 27. 



Ezek. 17. 2. Luke 14. 



never misliked moderate solemnities 
(festivities) in the severest life.' Bp. 
Hall. 

11. It came to pass when they saw 
him. That is, when they (the citi- 
zens) observed or considered him, 
when they noted his stature, form, 

countenance and bearing. VThey 

brought thirty companions to be with 
him. A class of persons called else- 
where in the Scriptures ' friends of 
the bridegroom,' or, ' children of the 
bride-chamber,' Mat. 9. 15; John 3. 
29. Although these companions 
were brought to him with a show of 
paying him respect and honor in con- 
formity to custom, yet it was un- 
doubtedly with the secret purpose of 
stationing spies about his person. A 
remarkable something in his exter- 
nal appearance told them thathe was 
a man to be watched ; and jealous as 
they now were of him, they would 
have been still more so, had they 
known of his exploit in killing the 
lion, which he had industriously kept 
from them. ' The favors of Philis- 
tines have often some mischief or 
other designed in them.' Henry. 

12. I will now put forth a riddle 
unto you. It was a very ancient cus- 
tom among different nations to re- 
lieve their entertainments by propos- 
ing difficult and obscure questions, 
to the solution of which a reward 
was usually annexed, while a pro- 
portionate forfeiture was the conse- 
quence of a failure. They were par- 
ticularly common among the Greeks, 



192 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1141. 



seven days of the feast, and find 
it out, then I will give you thirty 
sheets and thirty Change of gar- 
ments : 

13 But if ye cannot declare it 
me, then shall ye give me thirty 
sheets and thirty change of gar- 
ments. And they said unto 

1 Gen. 45. 22. 2 Kings 5. 22. 



who were accustomed to call riddles 
contrived to puzzle and perplex by, 
the name of ' banquet-riddles,' or 
' cup-quesiions.' Devices of this sort 
were especially necessary for amuse- 
ment and pastime in a festival of 
seven'days' continuance like the pre- 
sent. IT Thirty sheets and thirty 

change of garments. The original 
word ti^^HD sedinim, from which 
comes the Greek TuvSwv, Sindon,fine 
linen, probably denotes a kind of 
body linen, more like our shirts than 
sheets. ' It cannot easily be imagined 
they were what we call sheets, for 
Samson might have slain thirty Phil- 
istines near Askelon, and not have 
found one sheet ; or if he slew them 
who were carrying their beds with 
them on their travels, as they often 
do in present times, the slaughter of 
fifteen had been sufficient, for in the 
East, as in other countries, every bed 
is provided with two sheets ; but he 
slew just thirty, in order to obtain 
thirty sedinim, or shirts. If this 
meaning of the term be admitted, 
the deed of Samson must have been 
very provoking to the Philistines; 
for since only people of more easy 
circumstances wore shirts, they were 
not thirty of the common people that 
he slew, but thirty persons of figure 
and consequence. The same word 
is used by the prophet Isaiah, in his 
description of the splendid and costly 



him, Put forth thy riddle, that 
we may hear it. 

14 And he said unto them, 
Out of the eater came forth 
meat, and out of the strong came 
forth sweetness. And they 
could not in three days expound 
the riddle. 



dress in which people of rank and 
fashion then delighted, rendered in 
our translation fine linen ; which 
seems to place it beyond a doubt that 
they were persons of rank that fell 
by the hand of Samson on that occa- 
sion.' Paxton. By the ' thirty change 
of garments ' is probably to be under- 
stood the upper vestments or tunics 
common in the East, usually called 
caftans, and answering nearly to our 
cloaks. The idea of the passage seems 
to be, that Samson offered thirty dress- 
es, which there is reason to suppose 
consisted only of a shirt and upper 
garment. 

14. Out of the eater came forth 
meat, &c. Or, Heb. ^3&fa &X" 1 yetze 
maakal, came forth food. The anti- 
thesis in the first clause is sufficient- 
ly obvious, viz. that an all-devouring 
creature, contrary to what might na- 
turally be expected, should afford 
food to others. But in the second, it 
is less plain ; for the opposite of 
strength is not sweetness, but weak- 
ness. If it had been, ' Out of the 
sharp or bittei came forth sweetness,' 
the opposition would have been per- 
fect. Bochart, however, has very 
plausibly shown that the original for 
bitter is occasionally used for strong, 
and sharp for both. So in the Arab. 
Mirra, strength, and Marir, strong, 
robust, come from the root Marra, 
which signifies to be bitter. Thus, 



B. C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



193 



15 And it came to pass on the 
seventh day, that they said unto 
Samson's wife, m Entice thy 
husband, that he may declare 
unto us the riddle " lest we burn 
thee and thy father's house with 
fire : have ye called us to take 
that we have ? is it not so ? 

mch. 16.5. »ch. 15.6. 



too, in the Latin, acer, sharp, applied 
to a man, denotes one who is valiant, 
who eagerly engages his enemy ; and 
what is worthy of notice, this very 
term is employed by Ovid as an epi- 
thet for lions ; — 'Gen us acre leonum,' 
the sharp or fierce kind of lions. 
The true antithesis of the riddle, 
therefore, may be stated thus: — 'Food 
came from the devourer, and sweet- 
ness from that which is sharp ;' i. e. 
eager, fierce, violent. The Syr. and 
Arab, both render the original by 
bitter instead of strong, and some 
copies of the Gr. Sept. instead of ano 
ta^vpov fram the strong, exhibit the 
reading a-rzo -ixpov from the bitter. Jo- 
sephus gives the enigma in this form, 
'A great devourer produced sweet 
food out of itself, though itself was 
very disagreeable.' Probably to a 
Hebrew ear, when the riddle was 
found out, the terms would be as ex- 
pressive and suitable as any that 
could have been chosen. This enig- 
ma, though soluble, was one well 
calculated to task their ingenuity to 
the utmost, notwithstanding Henry's 
remark, that ' if they had but so much 
sense as to consider what eater is 
most strong, and what meat is most 
sweet, they would have found out 
the riddle; and neither lions nor 
honey were such strangers to their 
country, that the thoughts of them 
17 



16 And Samson's wife wept 
before him and said, ° Thou dost 
but hate me, and lovest me not : 
thou hast put forth a riddle unto 
the children of my people, and 
hast not told it me. And he 
said unto her, Behold, I have 
not told it my father nor my 
mother, and shall I tell it thee ? 

o ch. 16. 15. 

needed to be out of their way.' But 
the point was, not to conceive of these 
objecis separately, but in a peculiar 
relation to each other, and the difficul- 
ty of this arose from the fact that 
they would naturally conceive of the 
eater as still alive. It was, however, 
well adapied to the purpose for which 
Providence designed it should be 
overruled. 

15. On the seventh day. That is, 
of the week, being the fourth of the 
feast, as appears from comparing 

v. 14 and 17. IT Have ye called us 

to take that we have ? Have ye in- 
vited us to the feast for the purpose 
of impoverishing us by taking away 
what we have 1 

16. Wept before him. Heb. fS$l 
y^2$ vatlebk alauv, wept upon hdm. 
The sequel showed, however, that 
they were crocodile tears which she 

shed on this occasion. "til have not 

told it to my father, nor my mother. 
Though I have had more experience 
of their fidelity, and more reason to 
trust their taciturnity than thine. 
' In all parts of the world, I believe, 
people are pretty much alike, as to 
their capability of keeping secrets. 
The Hindoos, however, improperly 
reflect upon the female sex in their 
proverb, " To a woman tell not a se- 
cret." That secret must be great in- 
deed which will prevent a son or 



194 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1141. 



17 And she wept before him 
the seven days, while their feast 
lasted : and it came to pass on 
the seventh day, that he told 
her, because she lay sore upon 
him : and she told the riddle to 
the children of her people. 

18 And the men of the city 
said unto him on the seventh 
day before the sun went down, 
What is sweeter than honey ? 

daughter from telling it to the father 
or mother. The greatest proof of 
confidence is to say, " I have told 
you what I have not revealed to my 
father." In proof of the great affec- 
tion one has for another, it is said, 
" He has told things to him that he 
would not have related to his pa- 
rents." " My friend, do tell me the 
secret." — " Tell you 1 yes, when I 
have told my parents.'" Roberts. 

17. The seven days. That is, the 

rest of the seven days. IT Lay sore 

upon him. Rather, Heb. 'strongly 

urged, solicited, or pressed him.' 

IT She told the riddle. The meaning 
of the riddle. When we trust a se- 
cret out of our own breast, we must 
not expect it will long continue such. 
It was not the mark of a wise man 
in Samson to suppose that another 
would be more faithful to him than 
he was to himself. 

18. What is svseeler than honey! 
what is stronger than a lion ? This 
must be understood merely as a com- 
pend of the solution of the riddle, 
for it was not simply the two distinct 
objects, the lion and the honey, which 
constituted its point, but the ' coming 
out' of the one from the other, and 
unless the manner of this was stated, 
we do not see how the riddle could 
properly be considered as solved. 



and what is stronger than a lion ? 
And he said unto them, If ye 
had not ploughed with my heif- 
er, ye had not found out my 
riddle. 

19 IT And Pthe Spirit of the 
Lord came upon him, and he 
went down to Ashkelon, and 
slew thirty men of them, and 
took their spoil, and gave change 

P ch. 3. 10, and 13. 25. 



IT If ye hadnot ploughed with my heifer, 
&c. A proverbial expression, inti- 
mating that the Philistines could not 
have obtained the solution of the rid- 
dle without availing themselves of 
the assistance of his wife. Samson 
might justly have disputed the point 
with them, inasmuch as they did not 
find out the riddle themselves, but 
gained the knowledge of it by treach- 
ery ; nevertheless he generously de- 
termined to abide by the forfeit. 
19. The Spirit of the Lord came 

upon him. See on v. 6. IT Went 

down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men 
of them, &c. Ashkelon was a city 
possessed at this time by the Philis- 
tines, and one of their five lordships, 
though it had previously been taken 
and for some time held by Judah, ch. 
1. 18. It was situated fifteen miles 
north of Gaza, nine north of Ashdod, 
and about forty west from Jerusalem. 
The divine predictions respecting it 
have been so literally fulfilled, that 
there is not, says Richardson, an in- 
habitant within its walls ; its lofty 
towers lie scattered on the ground, 
and the ruins within its walls do not 
shelter a human being. Samson's 
going to this distant city and taking 
the lives of thirty of its inhabitants 
can only be justified on the general 
ground of his being raised up to be 



B.C. 1141.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



195 



of garments unto them which 
expounded the riddle. And his 
anger was kindled, and he went 
up to his father's house. 



a judge and deliverer of his people, 
and lo avenge iheir Philistine oppres- 
sors. The inference is reasonable, 
that the Spirit of the Lord came upon 
him not only to enable, but also to 
authorize him to perform the deed 
here mentioned. ' It is just with God 
to destine what enemies he pleases to 
execution. It is not to be inquired, 
why this man is stricken rather than 
another, when both are Philistines.' 

Bp. Hall. IT Took their spoil. 

Their apparel; the garments which 
they had on, and of which he strip- 
ped their dead bodies. Express men- 
tion, it is true, is not here made of 
the sheets or shirts, but they are evi- 
dently implied from v. 13. The 
Jewish critics make it a question 
how Samson, being a Nazarite, and 
consequently forbidden to touch a 
dead body, Num. 6. 6, could, with- 
out pollution, have possessed himself 
of the raiment of these slain Philis- 
tines. The question is one of no 
great moment, as (he. facts in the case 
force us to the conclusion, either that 
this prohibiiion was binding only up- 
on the temporary, and not upon the 
perpetual Nazarites, or that God 
through his Spirit acting in and by 
Samson, granted him a dispensation 
in this particular; as the same au- 
thority which binds has power also to 
loose, in regard to ceremonial observ- 
ances. IT His anger was kindled. 

Against his perfidious wife and his 
thirty companions, whose treatment 
of him had been so treacherous and 

unprincipled. ^He went up to his 

father's house. Abandoning for the 



20 But Samson's wife q was 
given to his companion, whom 
he had used as r his friend. 

q ch. 15. 2. r John 3. 29. 



present his new-married wife, but 
not, we think, with the design of a 
permanent desertion. It was proba- 
bly with a view, in a mild way, to 
signify his displeasure at her recent 
conduct, and to bring her to the ex- 
pression of a suitable regret. The 
result, however, was different from 
what he anticipated. 

20. Samso'ti's wife was given to his 
companion, &c. Heb. IHSHfc^ ^Htl 
tehi lemereehu, became to his compa- 
nion. The consent and agency of 
her parents in this disposal of her are 
not expressed, but implied. It is 
probable that they w'ere by this time, 
on further acquaintance with Sam- 
son, quite willing to have the con- 
nexion broken up, and to be rid of 
one whose intimate relation to them 
augured no good, and accordingly 
seized the colorable pretence of his 
temporary withdrawment to make 
the separation lasting. ' What pre- 
tence of friendship soever he make, 
a true Philistine will soon be weary 

of an Israelite.' Bp.Hall. ^[Whom 

he had used as his friend. With 
whom he had been upon the most 
intimate terms. This person, tech- 
nically termed the paranymph, was 
probably what is called in the New 
Testament the 'friend of the bride- 
groom.' He was a trusted friend, 
and charged with a peculiarly deli- 
cate and confidential office. He de- 
voted himself for a time almost en- 
tirely to the affairs of the bridegroom ; 
before the day of marriage, he was 
usually the medium of communica- 
tion between the bridegroom and the 



196 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1140. 



B 



CHAPTER XV. 

UT it came to pass within 
a while after, in the time 
of wheat-harvest, that Samson 
visited his wife with a kid ; and 
he said, I will go in to my wife 
into the chamber. But her fa- 
ther would not suffer him to go 
in. 



bride ; during the marriage festivity, 
he was in constant attendance, doing 
his best to promote the hilarity of the 
entertainments, and rejoicing in the 
happiness of his friend. Nor did his 
duties terminate with the completion 
of the marriage, but he was consider- 
ed the patron and confidential friend 
of both parties, and was usually call- 
ed in to compose any differences that 
might arise between them. Samson's 
friend must, as his paranymph, have 
had peculiar facilities for forming 
an acquaintance with the woman, 
and of gaining her favorable notice; 
and the treachery of one whom he 
had so largely trusted, must have 
been peculiarly distressing to him. 
Wrongs done by a friend wound the 
spirit more deeply than any others. 
' It was thou, my friend? says David. 

CHAPTER XV. 

1. In the time of vjheat-harvest. 
Which in that country was in April 
and May. The time of the visit is 
specified in reference to the exploit 

subsequently mentioned, v. 4, 5. 

IF Visited his wife with a hid. Carry- 
ing a kid in token of reconciliation. 
Time had now cooled his resent- 
ment, and probably not knowing 
that she had meanwhile been given 
to another, he was willing to make 
the first overtures of returning amity. 
' The wisest, though offended, will 



2 And her father said, I verily 
thought that thou hadst utterly 
a hated her ; therefore I gave her 
to thy companion : is not her 
younger sister fairer than she ? 
take her, I pray thee, instead 
of her. 

3 TT And Samson said concern- 

ach. 14.20. 



be the first to seek peace, and the 
readiest to pass by a transgression.' 

Haweis. IT He said, I will go in, 

&c. He said to himself ; he pro- 
posed; he formed the purpose. 

IT Into the chamber. Into the interior 
apartments appropriated to the w t o- 
men ; the harem. 

2. I verily thought that thou hadst 
utterly hated her. Heb. ^m&a "ifca 
amor amarti, saying, I said that 
thou, &c. I said in my heart, I cer- 
tainly concluded. The excuse was 
very frivolous, for it does not appear 
that Samson was long absent, and at 
any rate, he had no right to bestow 
her again in marriage without first 
apprising him of his intention. 
The act of repudiation in the East 
was always supposed to originate 
with the husband, and not with the 

wife.- IT Is not her younger sister 

fairer than she? Heb. rDJafc ("DTD 
tobah mimmenah, better than she. 
Words expressive of moral quali- 
ties are, in Hebrew and other lan- 
guages, frequently applied to per- 
sonal endowments. Thus in English 
we have ' good-looking ' for hand- 
some. IT Take her. Heb, *fi W! 

tehi leka, let her be to thee. Thus, in 
fact, proposing what would have been 
to Samson an incestuous marriage, 
Lev. 18. 18, however the Philistines 
regarded it. 

3. Samson said concerning them. 



B.C. 1140.] 



CHAPTER XV. 



197 



ing them, Now shall I be more 
blameless than the Philistines, 
though I do them a displeasure. 

Said to himself. It is very improba- 
ble that he would have announced 
verbally to any one the purpose 
Which he had now conceived in his 
mind. In forming this resolution, 
he acted rather in a public than a 
private capacity. Had he aimed to 
avenge only his personal injuries, it 
■would have been sufficient to have 
chastised his rival and his father-in- 
law only: but as the slight which 
excited his indignation had no doubt 
been put upon him because he was 
an Israelite, he determines as an Is- 
raelite to seek revenge. He had 
done what was proper in endeavor- 
ing by a present to effect a reconcili- 
ation with his wife, but as his over- 
tures had been repulsed, no one could 
blame him if he now showed his just 
resentments. When we have done 
our best to prevent a quarrel, we 
cannot be charged with the conse- 
quences of it. 

4. Went and caught three hundred 
foxes. Not that he did this in one 
day, or that he did it alone. In the 
Scripture idiom, a person is continu- 
ally described as doing that which 
he orders to be done, and no doubt 
such a person as Samson could easi- 
ly command whatever assistance he 
required. Nor is it to be supposed 
that the scene of devastation was con- 
fined to one particular place. From 
the subsequent narrative it would ap- 
pear that the destruction of the corn- 
fields extended widely over the ter- 
ritories of the Philistines. Comp. v. 
6. As to the kind of animal em- 
ployed on this occasion, there has 
been no small controversy among ex- 
17* 



4 And Samson went and caught 
three hundred foxes, and took 
lire-brands, and turned tail to 



positors. The Heb. word tn>2T!ZJ 
skualim, is now generally agreed to 
have included in its meaning noton- 
ly ' foxes,' but also ' jackals,' an ani- 
mal rightly described as something 
between the wolf and the fox, and 
hence sometimes termed by natural- 
ists ' the wolf-fox.' These animals, 
which were very numerous in Pal- 
estine, associate together in large 
herds or packs, sometimes to the 
amount of two or three hundred ; dif- 
fering in this respect from the fox, 
which is not gregarious, and is far 
more cunning. Like foxes, however, 
they live in holes, which they form 
under ground, and they are particu- 
larly prone to resort to ruined towns, 
not only because they there find nu- 
merous secure retreats ready made, 
but because the same facilities at- 
tract to such places other animals, on 
whose dead bodies they prey. From 
this circumstance, the prophets in 
describing the future desolation of a 
city, say it shall become ' the habita- 
tion of jackals,' a prediction verified 
by the actual condition of many pla- 
ces to which their prophecies apply. 
Thus it is said by travellers that the 
ruins of Ascalon in particular afford 
habitation to great numbers of these 
animals. The howlings of these 
packs of jaekals are frightful, and 
give great alarm to travellers ; whence 
they are also called in Heb. E^fi* 
Ayim, Jwwlers. improperly rendered 
' wild beasts of the islands.' Is. 13. 
22 ; Jer. 2. 39. But it appears that 
the common fox is also of frequent 
occurrence in Palestine, and as both 
are included under the common term 



198 



tail, and put a fire-brand in the 
midst between two tails. 

5 And when he had set the 
brands on fire, he let them go 
into the standing corn of the 
Philistines, and burnt up both 
the shocks, and also the stand- 
ing corn, with the vineyards and 
olives. 



JUDGES. [B. C. 1140. 

6 IT Then the Philistines said, 
Who hath done this ? And they 
answered, Samson, the son-in- 
law of the Timnite, because he 
had. taken his wife, and given 
her to his companion. b And the 
Philistines came up, and burnt 
her and her father with fire. 

b ch. 14. 15. 



Shual, it must generally be left to the 
bearing of the context to determine 
when the jackal and when the fox 
are respectively denoted. That the 
jackal is intended in the text now 
before us, we may infer from the 
number of animals taken by Samson, 
which must have been easier with 
creatures prowling in large droves, 
than with a solitary and very wily 
animal like the fox. IT Took fire- 
brands,. Rather, Heb. iD^lSb lappi- 
dlm, torches. A firebrand, in such a 
position, if sufficiently ignited to kin- 
dle a blaze in the shocks of corn, 
would soon have burnt itself free 
from the tails of the foxes, or have 
been extinguished by being drawn 
over the ground. A torch or flam- 
beau, on the other hand, made of re- 
sinous wood or artificial materials, 
being more tenacious of flame, would 
have answered a far better purpose; 
and such is the legitimate import of 

the original. TtAnd turned tail to 

tail. This was doubtless intended to 
prevent them from making too rapid 
a retreat to their holes, or, indeed, 
from going to their holes at all. 
They were probably not so tied that 
they should pull in different direc- 
tions, but that they might run devi- 
ously and slowly, side by side, and 
so do the more effectual execution. 
Had he put a torch to the tail of 
each, the creature, naturally terrified 



at fire, would instantly have betaken 
itself to its hole or some place of re- 
treat, and thus the design of Samson 
would have been wholly frustrated. 
But by tying two of them together 
by the tail they would frequently 
thwart each other in running, and 
thus cause the greater devastation. 
If it be asked why Samson resorted 
to such an expedient at all, instead 
of firing the cornfields with his own 
hand, which would have been a 
much simpler and easier method of 
compassing his object, we may say 
perhaps in reply, that by the mean- 
ness and weakness of the instru- 
ments employed he designed to put 
a more signal contempt upon the 
enemies with whom he contended, 
thus mingling ridicule with revenge. 
6. And they ansicered, &c. ' The 
mention of the offence draws in (that 
of) the provocation ; and now the 
wrong to Samson is scanned and re- 
venged ; because the fields of the 
Philistines are burned for the wrong 
done to Samson by the Timnite in his 
daughter, therefore the Philistines 
burn the Timnite and his daughter. 
The tying of the firebrand between 
two foxes was not so witty a policy, 
as the setting of a fire of dissension 
betwixt the Philistines.' Bp. Hall. 

MBurnt her and her father with 

fire. A most inhuman and barbar- 
ous act, on the part of its perpetrators, 






B. C. 1140.] 



CHAPTER XV. 



7 TT And Samson said unto 
them, Though ye have done 
this, yet will 1 be avenged of 
you, and after that I will cease. 

8 And he smote them hip and 
thiorh with a jrreat slaughter. 



yet wonderfully overruled in the Pro- 
vidence of God to chastise the guilty. 
The Philistines had threatened Sam- 
son's wife that if .she did not obtain 
and disclose her husband's secret, 
they would burn her and her father's 
house with fire. She. to save herself 
and oblige her countrymen, betrayed 
her husband; and now by so doing 
brought upon herself the very doom 
which she so studiously sought to 
avoid ! To seek to escape suffering 
by sin, is the surest way to bring it 
upon us! ' The fear of the wicked 
it shall come upon him.' 

7. Though ye have done this, &c. 
Though you have thought by this act 
of cruelty to my wife and kindred, 
to make amends for the injury done 
to me, yet flatter not yourselves that 
I am thereby appeased, and that I 
shall forbear farther hostilities. He 
doubtless saw that his wife and her 
family were victims to a hasty indig- 
nation occasioned by their own loss- 
es, rather than the subjects of a right- 
eous and well-considered retribution, 
and that accordingly there was no 
reason for him, as a public judge, 
called and appointed of God to de- 
liver his country from oppression, to 
cease to prosecute that work. 

8. Smote them hip and thigh. Heb. 
"pi >3> plE toma *p yak oth'am 
shok al yarek, smote them leg upon 
thigh. Apparently' a proverbial ex- 
pression, implying, according to Ge- 
senius, that he cut them in pieces, 
so that their limbs, their legs and 



And he went down and dwelt 
in the top of the rock Etam. 

9 TT Then the Philistines went 
up, and pitched in Judah, and 
spread themselves c in Lehi. 

c ver. 19. 

thighs, were scattered and heaped 
promiscuously together ; equivalent 
to saying, that he totally destroyed 
them. Whether this be the genuine 
interpretation admits of some doubt, 
but as we have nothing more plausi- 
ble to propose, it is left to the read- 
er's judgment, as one of the cases 
where entire satisfaction as to the 
writer's meaning, is unattainable. 
That a signal overthrow and a great 
slaughter is intended, seems to be un- 
questionable. ^ Dwelt in the top of 

the rock Etam. Rather, according to 
the Heb., ' in a clefr, in a fissure of 
the rock.' Of the exact position of 
this place, or of Samson's motive in 
resorting thither, we are not inform- 
ed. It was probably a natural fortress, 
affording peculiar advantages for 
defence, of which Samson no doubt 
foresaw, that he would soon be in 
need of availing himself. Their re- 
cent defeat would naturally rouse the 
wrath of his enemies and bring them 
upon him in all their force. It seems 
altogether likely from his words in 
the concluding part of v. 7, that he 
had accomplished his present pur- 
pose of revenge, and designed no far- 
ther annoyance to the Philistines 
unless provoked to it by new ag- 
gressions on their part. If they 
then will rouse the sleeping lion, 
let them expect to pay dear for their 
temerity. 

9. Pitched in Judah and spread 
themselves in Lehi. Etam, the strong- 
hold to which Samson had now 



200 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1140 



10 And the men of Judah said, 
Why are ye come up against us ? 
And they answered, To bind 
Samson are we come up, to do 
to him as he hath done to us. 

11 Then three thousand men 
of Judah went to the top of the 
rock Etam, and said to Samson, 
Knowest thou not that the Phi- 
listines are d rulers over us ? 

d ch. 14. 4. 

betaken himself, was in the tribe of 
Judah, and the Philistines probably 
intended by suddenly appearing with 
a large army in their borders, to in- 
timidate that tribe, and make them 
subservient to their design of cap- 
turing Samson. • Lehi ' is so called 
here by anticipation, as it received 
that name from the slaughter with 
the jaw-bone, which had not yet 
taken place. 

10. To bind Samson are we come 
lip, &c. From the sequel it would 
appear that their answer included 
also a demand upon the men of Judah 
for their services and co-operation 
in making a prisoner of Samson. 

11. Knowest thou not that the Phi- 
listines are rulers over us? A most 
degrading confession to come from 
the lips of an Israelite, and plainly 
showing that they had become con- 
tented slaves, more fearful of offend- 
ing the Philistines than anxious to 
assert their independence. But their 
spirits were broken by the base 
bondage which their iniquities had 
brought upon them, and instead of 
bravely setting Samson at their head, 
to fight for their liberty, they meanly 
resolve to make a sacrifice of him 
to his enemies ! preferring ignomini- 
ous servitude to a generous struggle 
for their country. Instead of honor- 



what is this that thou hast done 
unto us ? And he said unto 
them, As they did unto me, so 
have I done unto them. 

12 And they said unto him, 
We are come down to bind thee, 
that we may deliver thee into 
the hand of the Philistines. And 
Samson said unto them, Swear 
unto me, that ye will not fall 
upon me yourselves. 



ing him for his courage, they blame 
him for his rashness, and desire him 
peaceably to submit to their bonds .' 
12. Swear unto me that ye will not 
fall uponme yourselves. Though he 
had abundant occasion to expostulate 
with them on account of their ingra- 
titude, and to upbraid them with their 
cowardice and infatuation, yet he 
generously forbears reproaches, and 
merely demands assurance that he 
should receive no harm at their hands. 
He does not make the stipulation for 
fear of them, for he could as easily 
have freed himself from the hands 
of his brethren as from those of the 
Philistines, but he would avoid the 
necessity of acting towards them as 
enemies. His motive for consenting 
thus readily to be bound and deliver- 
ed up to the Philistines undoubtedly 
was, that he knew the issue of it 
would be to afford him a new occa- 
sion of inflicting vengeance upon 
that oppressive race. ' Samson 
abides to be tied by his own country- 
men, that he may have the glory of 
freeing himself victoriously. Even 
so, O Saviour, our better Nazarite, 
thou, which couldst have called to 
thy father, and have had twelve le- 
gions of angels for thy rescue, 
wouldst be bound voluntarily that 
thou mightest triumph ! So the 



B.C. 1140.1 



CHAPTER XV. 



201 



13 And they spake unto him, 
saying, No : but we will bind 
thee fast, and deliver thee into 
their hand : but surely we will 
not kill thee> And they bound 
him with two new cords, and 
brought him up from the rock. 

14 1 r And when he came unto 
Lehi, the Philistines shouted 
against him : and e the Spirit of 
the Lord came mightily upon 
him, and the cords that were 

ech.3. 10, and 14.6. 

blessed martyrs were racked and 
would not be loosed, because they 
expected a better resurrection. If 
we be not as well ready to suffer ill 
as to do good, we are not fit for the 
consecration of God.' Bp. Hall, 

13. Brought him up from the rock. 
From the cleft or cave of the rock 
in which he had taken shelter. See 
on v. 8. From hence he ivas brought 
to Lehi. where the Philistines had 
pitched their camp. 

14. Became as flax that was burnt. 
A flaxen or hempen cord that has 
been burnt in the fire will still re- 
tain its form when taken out, but it 
has no strength ; it is henceforth a 
mere cinder and falls to pieces at the 
slightest touch. Such, in point of 
weakness, were the cords with which 
Samson was now bound. In the 
ensuing clause, ' his bands loosed 
(Heb. melted),' the figure is varied 
and the bands represented asflovHng 
off his limbs like a liquid substance. 

15. Found a new jaw-bone of an 
■ass. Heb. tl^TB teriyyah, gr-een or 
moist, i. e. the jaw-bone of an ass re- 
cently dead. The bones of any anU 
mal in such a state, would not so 
easily break as when they had be- 
come drv. 



upon his arms became as flax 
that was burnt with fire, and 
his bands loosed from off his 
I hands. 

15 And he found a new jaw- 
bone of an ass, and put forth 

I his hand, and took it, and f slew 
'a thousand men therewith. 

16 And Samson said, With 
the jaw-bone of an ass, heaps 
upon heaps, with the jaw of an 
ass have I slain a thousand men. 

f ch. 3. 31. Lev. 26. 8. Josh. 23. 10. 



1G. Heaps upon heaps. Heb. Tlton 
GtHfcn 'hamor ' hamor athayim, an 
heap, hvo heaps. The original con- 
tains a peculiar play upon the sound 
of the words, which cannot be trans- 
ferred into any other language. The 
same word in Hebrew, ^"Iton 'hamor, 
signifies both an ass and a heap, thus 
forming an elegant paranomasia, 
and representing the Philistines fall- 
ing as tamely as asses. Some have 
considered this short pean of Samson 
as faulty in not ascribing his victory 
more directly and unequivocally to 
God, who had enabled him to accom- 
j plish it. The words, it is true, con- 
j tain no express mention of the name 
i of Jehovah, but it cannot, we think, 
be fairly inferred that the recogni- 
, tion of the divine power was not 
; present to his thoughts, or that he 
! intended to ascribe the result to the 
prowess of his own arm. It is per- 
l haps rather to be understood as an 
exclamation of grateful and adoring 
wonder, that he, who was in himself 
: a poor, weak worm, should have 
been enabled, with such a contempti- 
ble instrument, to effect so signal an 
overthrow of his enemies. 

17. Called that place Ramath-lehi. 
And by contraction ' Lehi •* as was 



202 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1140. 



17 And it came to pass when 
he had made an end of speak- 
ing, that he cast away the jaw- 
bone out of his hand, and called 
that place Ramath-lehi. 

18 TT And he was sore athirst, 
and called on the Lord, and 
said, "Thou hast given this great 
deliverance into the hand of thy 
servant : and now shall I die 

g Ps. 3. 7. 

usual with proper names, as Salem 
for Jerusalem, Sheba for Beersheba, 
and many others. The exact im- 
port of the original ^hi Wa^l ramath- 
lehi, is not easily determined. It 
may mean either ' the casting away 
of the jaw-bone,' ' the lifting up of 
the jaw-bone,' or ' the hill of the jaw- 
bone.' The last is most consistent 
with grammatical structure, and 
unites in its support the suffrages of 
the greatest number of modern 
critics. 

19. God clave a hollow place. That 
is, so clave the ground or the rock 
as to make a hollow place. Thus Ps. 
74. 15, ' Thou didst cleave the foun- 
tain ;' i. e. thou didst cleave the rock 
so as to cause a fountain to spring 
up in it. Thus Is. 47. 2, < Take the 
millstones and grind meai ;' i. e. 
grind corn into meal. Judg. 16. 30, 
' The dead which he slew at his 
death,' &c, i. e. those who became 
dead by his slaying them. The ori- 
ginal for ' hollow-place,' elsewhere, 
signifies a mortar, and here denotes 
undoubtedly that a cavity was now 
made in the earth of the form of a 
mortar, on which account Horsley 
not unaptly renders it, ' clave a mor- 
tar-hole in Lehi.' MThat was in 

the jaw. An unfortunate rendering, 
as is now almost universally conced- 



for thirst, and fall into the hand 
of the uncircumcised ? 

19 But God clave a hollow 
place that was in the jaw, and 
there came water thereout ; and 
when he had drunk, b his spirit 
came again, and he revived. 
Wherefore he called the name 
thereof En-hakkore, which is 
in Lehi unto this day. 

h Gen. 45. 27. Isai. 40. 29. Ps. 34. 6. 



ed. The writer undoubtedly meant 
to say, that God clave a hollow place 
which was in Lehi, and not in the 
jaw-bone. Indeed the propriety of 
this reading is evident from the con- 
text ; for if we have 'jaw,' or, 'jaw- 
bone ' here, we ought to retain it in 
the concluding clause of this verse, 
and instead of saying, ' which is m 
Lehi unto this day, say, ' which is 
in the jaw-bone unto this day.' The 
fact that the Hebrew word for 'jaw- 
bone/ and for ' Lehi,' is the same, 
and a fondness for multiplying mira- 
cles, probably led several of the an- 
cient versions to understand Lehi 
here as denoting the jaw-bone of the 
ass rather than the place so called. 

^ His spirit came again. His 

strength and spirits, exhausted by the 
excessive fatigue of the recent en- 
counter, were effectually revived. 
IT He called the name thereof En- 
hakkore. That is, ' the fountain of 
him that called or prayed.' Geddes, 
' invocation-well.' Instead of ' he 
called,' the proper rendering undoubt- 
edly is, ' it was called,' i. e. this be- 
came its popular appellation, as it 
seems to have become henceforward 
a perennial spring. According to 
the distinction of the Hebrew accents 
the whole clause is to be translated 
thus; 'And the name thereof was 



B. C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



203 



20 And he judged Israel Un 
the days of the Philistines twen- 
ty years. 

. ch. 13. 1. 



called unto tin's day En-haklcore, 
which is in Lehi.' 

20. Judged Israel in the days of the 
Philistines twenty years. His ad- 
ministration is supposed not to have 
been strictly universal or extended 
over the whole of Israel, but limited 
rather to the southwestern district of 
Palestine, where the oppression of the 
people was most severe. The phrase, 
' in the days of the Philistines,' is 
peculiar, implying the days or the 
period during which the Philistines 
had the upper hand of Israel ; leav- 
ing us to infer that Samson's efforts 
did not avail entirely to crush, but 
only to restrain, limit and weaken 
the power of the oppressors. The 
Lord did not grant a full deliverance, 
because his people were not yet suf- 
ficiently chastised for their sins. 
Indeed it was not till the days of 
David that the Philistine yoke was 
completely shaken off, 2 Sam. 3. 18. 
Of the adjustment of the period of 
twenty years here mentioned, see ch. 
13. 1. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

1. Then went Samson to Gaza. 
This place was the capital and the 
most important of the five Philistine 
principalities, and was situated about 
fifteen miles south of Ascalon, sixty 
miles southwest from Jerusalem, and 
between two and three miles from 
the sea. It was a very ancient city, 
and is always spoken of in the Old 
Testament as a place of great impor- 
tance. In more modern times it has 
undergone a great variety of changes 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THEN went Samson to G aza, 
and saw there an harlot, 
and went in unto her. 

occasioned by the fortunes of war, 
till at present it has declined to a 
trading village of some three or four 
thousand inhabitants. It stands upon 
a hill of about two miles circumfer- 
ence at the base, surrounded by val- 
leys, and overlooking a prospect of 
much beauty. Environed by and in- 
terspersed with gardens and planta- 
tions of olive and date trees, the town 
has a picturesque appearance to which 
its numerous elegant minarets not a 
little contribute. The buildings be- 
ing mostly of stone, and the streets 
moderately broad, the interior answers 
expectation better than most other 
towns of Syria, and affords accom- 
modations far superior to most places 
in Egypt. The suburbs, however, 
are composed of miserable mud huts ; 
but all travellers concur with Sandys 
in admiring the variety and richness 
of the vegetable productions, both 
wild and cultivated, of the environs. 
The inhabitants have manufactures 
of cotton and soap, but derive their 
principal support from the commerce 
between Egypt and Syria, which 
must all pass this way. Scarcely 
any of its ancient remains are now to 
be found. Those of w r hich travellers 
gave an account a century or two 
ago, have nearly all disappeared. — 
The real motive by which Samson 
was prompted in this visit to Gaza, 
it is vain to attempt to discover. We 
can scarcely, however, from the se- 
quel resist the impression that his 
spiritual affections had suffered a se- 
rious decline, that he had relaxed the 
vigilance and circumspection of his 



204 



JUDGES 



[B. C, 1120, 



2 And it was told the Gazites, 
saying, Samson is come hither. 
And they a compassed him in, 
and laid wait for him all night 
in the gate of the city, and were 
quiet all the night, saying, In 



9.24. 



1 Sam, 23 26. Ps. 118. 10, 11, 12. Acts 



■walk as a Nazarite, and that he ven- 
tured uncalled among the un circum- 
cised. Considering the relation in 
which he stood to the Philistines, and 
the light in which he was regarded 
by them, it was certainly a step full 
of personal danger, provided he went 
thither openly and without disguise. 
But from the context it would rather 
appear, that he entered the gates 
without the citizens being at first ap- 
prised of the fact. His being there, 
however, was soon noised abroad, 
and his enemies were at onee on the 
alert with their machinations to get 
him in their power, and what security 
for safety have they w T ho wander un- 
bidden from the path of duty 1 

HAnd saw there an harlot, &c. The 
seeing this lewd woman was not per- 
haps the moving cause of his going 
to Gaza, but being there he accident- 
ally fell in with her, and was unhap- 
pily ensnared by the sight of his eyes. 
How have the strongest in grace oc- 
casion to pray, Lead us not into 
temptation ! 

2. And it was told the Gazites say- 
ing, &e. The original word, ^3^1 
vayuggad. corresponding to the Ital- 
ics, is so essential to the completion 
of the sense here, that there can be 
little doubt that it has by some acci- 
dent been omitted. This is confirmed 
by the fact that the ancient versions 
for the most part exhibit its equiva- 
lent. IT They compassed him in. 



the morning when it is day we 
shall kill him. 

3 And Samson lay till mid- 
night, and arose at midnight, and 
took the doors of the gate of the 
city, and the two posts, and 
went away with them, bar and 
all, and put them upon his should- 



Heb. "DC^T vayasobu, they went round 
about. With the utmost activity they 
traversed the city to and fro, con- 
versing with each other, concerting 
plans, and adopting measures to 
make a captive of their most for- 
midable foe. Their principal pre- 
caution, it seems, was to station sen- 
tinels at the gates to apprehend him 
as he should attempt to pass out in 

the morning. ^ Were quiet all the 

night. Heb.-lCinrT" 1 yith'hareshu, kept 
themselves silent ; as if by special con- 
straint. They would do nothing, 
make no disturbance, create no 
alarm, that would endanger the suc- 
cess of their schemes. 

3. Took the doors of the gate. Heb, 
TTI&O yeehoz, laid hold of, seized. Not 
the great gate itself, but the two 
smaller doors or leaves, constructed 
within the large gate, and which 
alone were opened on ordinary oc- 
casions. The posts, bar, &c, of 
these were different from the more 
solid and massy fixtures of the great 
gate, which of course he could not 
think of removing. It was indeed an 
instance of divine forbearance at 
which Samson had occasion to won- 
der that his supernatural strength 
was yet continued to him, notwith- 
standing his aggravated offence. We 
should have thought that his very 
convictions of conscience would have 
unnerved his arm, and rendered him 
all but absolutely powerless. But 



B. U. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



205 



ers, and carried them up to the 
top of an hill that is before He- 
bron. 

4 IF And it came to pass after- 
ward, that he loved a woman in 
the valley of Sorek, whose name 
was Delilah. 

5 And the lords of the Philis- 

God may have wise reasons for de- 
ferring the punishment of those sins 
which yet do by no means pass with 
impunity. Samson is reprieved but 

not pardoned IT A hill that is be fore 

Hebron. Rightly understood and 
rendered by the Sept. : which looketh 
towards Hebron ;' for the town of 
Hebron was twenty miles distant 
from Gaza. 

4. It came to pass afterward, that 
he loved a woman, &c. It is to be 
feared that Samson's impunity, at 
least for the present, in the former 
instance, emboldened him to give 
way a second time to unhallowed de- 
sires. ' Custom of success makes men 
confident in their sins, and causes 
them to mistake an arbitrary tenure 
for a perpetuity.' Bp. Hall. The 
same idea is more emphatically ex- 
pressed by Solomon : — ' Because sen- 
tence against an evil work is not exe- 
cuted speedily, therefore the heart of 
the sons of men is fully set in thern 
to .do evil.' It is not indeed expressly 
affirmed that this woman was a har- 
lot, like the former, but from the ten- 
or of the ensuing narrative, it is 
scarcely to be questioned that she 
was. She is no where called his 
wife ; he did not take her home to 
his house ; and the whole train of 
her negotiations with her countrymen 
go to prove that she was a mercenary 
and perfidious courtezan, governed 
in her conduct towards Samson by 
18 



tines came up unto her, and said 
unto her, b Entice him, and see 
wherein his great strength licth, 
and by what means we may pre- 
vail against him, that we may 
bind him to afflict him : and we 

b ch. 14. 15. See Prov. 2. 16-19. and 5. 3- 
11 ; and 6. 24, 25,26, and 7. 21, 22, 23. 



interest instead of affection, if indeed 
it be not profaning the term affection 
to use it in connexion with such an 
illicit and degrading intercourse.— Of 
the position of the valley of Sorek 
nothing certain is known. — As to the 
name of this vile woman, 'Delilah,' 
its import is that of humbling, abas- 
ing, bringing down, and like hun- 
dreds of other names in the Scriptures, 
originating in events, may have been 
derived from the evil influence which 
she exerted upon Samson. 

5. Entice him, and see, &c. ' The 
princes of the Philistines,' as Bp. 
Hall shrewdly remarks, ' knew al- 
ready where Samson's weakness lay, 
though not his strength, and there- 
fore they would entice his harlot 
with gifts to entice him.' These five 
satraps made common cause on this 
occasion, considering Samson a pub- 
lic enemy whom it equally concerned 

them all to crush if possible. 

IT Wherein his great strength lieth. 
Rather, Heb. J)Tia 1H5 nftZ'bammeh 
ko'hu gadol, wherebij, or for what cause 
his strength is {so) great. Perhaps 
imagining it was the effect of some 
charm, spell, or amulet, w r hich he 
carried about with him, and that if 
they could get possession of this, they 
would soon have him in their power. 

VThat we may bind him to afflict 

him. Or, Heb. 'to humble, to de- 
press, to bring him low.' They do 
not say expressly ' to kill him,' though 



206 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



will give thee every one of us 
eleven hundred pieces of silver. 
6 M And Delilah said to Sam- 
son, Tell me, I pray thee, where- 
in thy great strength lieth, and 

this was their ultimate intention, but 
they no doubt saw that the plain 
avowal of such a bloody purpose 
would shock too much whatever feel- 
ings of woman yet remained in the 
bosom of Delilah, and would thus de- 
feat their plan; besides, it is clear 
from the event that they designed by 
a series of aggravated insults and in- 
juries to torture and break down his 
spirit, and thus prolong their triumph 
before putting the finishing stroke to 

it in his death. IT Eleven hundred 

pieces of silver. These pieces of sil- 
ver were probably shekels, and the 
total sum according to our computa- 
tion would amount to upwards of 
$'2,000, a vast bribe for the time and 
country. 

6. Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, 
I pray thee, wherein thy great strength 
lieth. It can scarcely be supposed that 
this question was so bluntly and na- 
kedly propounded as here stated, as 
in that case her treacherous design 
could not well have failed to betray 
itself. It is the general usage of the 
sacred writers merely to give the 
leading incidents, the prominent out- 
lines, of the events which they relate, 
leaving the details to be supplied by 
the reflection of the reader. In this 
case she undoubtedly plied all her 
arts of blandishment and persuasion, 
and by taking advantage of his 
yielding moods, and expressing her 
admiration of his wonderful exploits, 
aimed to throw him off his guard, 
and thus win his secret from him 
unawares. But as yet he retained 



wherewith thou mightest be 
bound to afflict thee ? 

7 And Samson said unto her, 
If they bind me with seven green 
withs, that were never dried, 



sufficient self-possession to elude her 
cunning. 

7. // they bind me with seven green 
withs, &c. How Samson's veracity 
in this reply is to be vindicated, we 
know not. Probably the same ob- 
tuseness of conscience which made 
him insensible to the guilt of one 
species of sin, rendered him reckless 
of another. How fearful the effects 
of suffering the moral sense to be 
deadened by a single case of Wilful 
transgression ! As the word translat- 
ed ' withs,' (TP yether,) is a general 
word for rope, or cord, we learn by 
the use of the epithet ( green,' that 
the ropes in use among the Hebrews, 
like those employed in many other 
countries and formed of osiers, hazels, 
&c, were made of crude vegetable 
materials, such as vines, tendrils, 
pliable twisted rods, or the tough 
fibres of trees. And Josephus express- 
ly says that the ropes with which 
Samson was bound were made of the 
tendrils of the vine. Such ropes are 
still used in the East, and while they 
remain green are stronger than any 
other. In India the legs of wild ele- 
phants and buffaloes newly caught 
are commonly bound with bonds of 
this sort ; those of hemp and flax be- 
ing rarely found there. Except some 
that are formed of hair or leather, 
they are generally made of the fibres 
of trees (particularly of the palm 
tree), of roots, of grasses, and of reeds 
and rushes. They are in general 
tolerably strong, but in no degree 
comparable to our own hempen ropes. 



B.C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



207 



then shall I be weak, and be as 
another man. 

8 Then the lords of the Philis- 
tines brought up to her seven 
green withs, which had not been 
dried, and she bound him with 
them. 

9 (Now there were men lying 
in wait, abiding with her in the 
chamber.) And she said unto 
him, the Philistines be upon 



Though light, yet wanting in com- 
pactness, they are much thicker than 
those employed by us, and are gene- 
rally rough and coarse to the eye. 
The Septuagint, however, by trans- 
lating the Hebrew by vevpan vypais, 
and the Vulgate by nerviceis funibus, 
understand these bonds to be cords 
made of the sineios of cattle, or per- 
haps out of raw hides, which make 
exceedingly strong cords. Bat the 
objection to this rendering is, that 
animal sinews or hides when 'green,' 
i. e. humid, recent, have less strength 
than when thoroughly dried. The 
former is doubtless the true interpre- 
tation. ^Be as another man. Heb. 

fc"J2*n "in&O kaa'hod haadam, as one 
man, i. e. as any man. 

8. And she bound him with them. 
Perhaps in dalliance, in a sportive 
way, as though she were only half 
in earnest, or at any rate wished 
only to gratify her own curiosity, 
and see if what he had told her was 
true. 

9. Now there were men lying in 
wait, abiding with her in the chamber. 
Heb. ' and the lier in wait (collect. 
sing, for plur.) sat for her in an inner 
apartment.' Our translation very er- 
roneously represents the Hers in wait 
as abiding in the same chamber 
where she and Samson now were ; 



thee, Samson. And he brake 
the withs as a thread of tow is 
broken when it toucheth the 
fire. So his strength was not 
known. 

10 And Delilah said unto Sam- 
son, Behold, thou hast mocked 
me, and told me lies : now tell 
me, I pray thee, wherewith 
thou mightest be bound. 

11 And he said unto her, If 



but if so, how could he but have been 
aware of their presence 1 That which 
we have given is the true rendering. 
The Heb. flj tdh, is not ' with her,' 
but ' to or for her,' i. e. subservient 

to her designs. IT The Philistines 

be upon thee, Samson. Are at hand 
to surprise and take thee ; probably 
the concerted signal for the men ly- 
ing in wait to rush into the room, and 
if the experiment succeeded, and his 
limbs were effectually manacled, to 

make him prisoner at once. 

IT When it toucheth the fire. Heb. 
TDK in"Hi"Q bahariliu esh, when it 
smelleth the fire ; i.e. when it per- 
ceiveth, feeleth. or hath a sensation 
of the fire ; metaphorically spoken. 
The use of the term ' smell,' in this 
sense in the Hebrew is somewhat pe- 
culiar. Thus Job 14. 9, speaking of 
a tree cut down, ' Yet through the 
scent of water it will bud :' i. e. 
through the perception of water. Ps. 
59. 9, ' Before your pots can feel the 
thorns.' Heb. can smell the thorns. 
Dan. 3. 27, ' Neither were their coats 
changed, nor the smell of fire had 
passed on thern ;' i. e. the feeling, the 
perception of fire. 

10. And Delilah said unto Samson, 
&c. After the lapse of some consid- 
erable time, when she saw that her 
blandishments had given her an ad- 



208 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



they bind me fast with new 
ropes that never were occupied, 
then shall I be weak, and be as 
another man. 

12 Delilah therefore took new 
ropes, and bound him therewith, 
and said unto him, The Philis- 
tines be upon thee, Samson. 
(And there were liers in wait 
abiding in the chamber.) And 
he brake them from off his arms 
like a thread. 

13 And Delilah said unto Sam- 
vantage over him ; for to renew the 
attempt to worm out of him his se- 
cret, immediately after her failure 
would, of course, have been bad po- 
licy. 

11. If they bind me fast with new 
ropes. Heb. D^lTOS abothim, from 
3Tfi3> aboth, to wreathe , braid, twist to- 
gether, to make thick by wreathing, 
and implying ropes or cords of the 
thickest and strongest description, 
probably answering nearly to the idea 
of our modern cables. The material, 
however, may have been the same 
with that of the tP^ltli yetherim, 

mentioned above. IT That never 

were occupied. Heb. ' wherewith 
work hath not been done.' 

13. The seven locks of my head. 
Heb. msftnfa WEJ sheba ma'hlephoih, 
the seven braids or plaits ; into which 
probably the hair of Samson was 
braided. As seven, however, is a 
usual term in the Scriptures for com- 
pleteness or universality, it may here 
be equivalent simply to ' all my 
locks.' His strength, he tells her, 
would be weakened if these were in- 
terwoven with the warp which was 
in a loom hard by, perhaps in the 
same room ; which might be the place 
where Delilah used to weave. This 



son, Hitherto thou hast mocked 
me, and told me lies : tell me 
wherewith thou mightest be 
bound. And he said unto her, 
If thou weavest the seven locks 
of my head with the web. 

14 And she fastened it with the 
pin, and said unto him, The 
Philistines be upon thee, Sam- 
son. And he awaked out of his 
sleep, and went away with the 
pin of the beam, and with the 
web. 



verse seems to end abruptly, but the 
supplementary clause, ' Then shall I 
be like another man,' is easily sup- 
plied from the context. 

14. And she fastened it with the pin. 
Rather, she fastened it with a pin, 
Heb. irpa 5>pnt1 tUhka bayyathed, 
Both the original words occur in the 
account of Jael's driving (Splnf!) 
the pin (It!" 1 !"!) into Sisera's tem- 
ples, and the probability is, that the 
web, with Samson's lock interwoven, 
was in some way secured by being 
fixed to a strong pin which was 
driven either into the ground or into 
the wall, as the Septuagint under- 
stands it. Or rather, as the looms at 
that period were very simple, the 
words may import that the loom it- 
self was more firmly secured by 
means of the pin driven into the 

ground. IT With the pin of the beam, 

&c. But what was 'the pin of the 
beam?' No intelligible sense is af- 
forded by the phrase, nor from our 
ignorance of the exact structure of 
the ancient loom is it perhaps possible 
to assign one. The literal rendering 
of the original seems to be, ' He 
went away with the pin, the weaving 
implements, and the web;' in other 
words, he look away the whole ap- 



B. C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



209 



15 TT And she said unto him, 
c How canst thou say, I love 
thee, when thine heart is not 
with me ? Thou hast mocked 
me these three times, and hast 
not told me wherein thy great 
strength lieth. 

cch. 14. 16. 



paratus together. We doubt if any 
thing more definite could be elicited 
from the words. 

15. When thine heart is not with 
me. When thou dost not lay open 
thy heart to me ; when thou canst 
not trust me with its secrets. An 
important practical truth lies at the 
foundation of this remonstrance of 
Delilah. t It is true, that ' they only 
have our love, who have our hearts,' 
and the remark holds eminently in 
regard to love to God. If we profess 
to love Him while the warmth of our 
affection is withholden, and a cold 
reserve takes the place of that free, 
filial, and unreserved intercourse, 
which i*< the privilege of his people, 
what is to be inferred from it, but 
that we are deceiving ourselves with 
an empty show'? His demand is, 

1 My son, give me thy heart.' 

16, 17. When she pressed him daily 
— he told her all his heart. Alas ! how 
are the mighty fallen ! What an af- 
fecting exhibition of the weakness of 
human nature even in its best estate! 
Well could Samson now adopt the 
language of Solomon ; — ' I find more 
bitter than death the woman whose 
heart is snares and nets, and her 
hands are bands : whoso pleaseth 
God shall escape from her ; but the 
sinner shall be taken by her.' Wea- 
ried out by the ceaseless upbraidings 
of his vile paramour ; and enslaved 
by the violence of his passion, the 

18* 



16 And it came to pass when 
she pressed him daily with her 
words, and urged him, so that 
his soul was vexed unto death ; 

17 That he d told her all his 
heart, and said unto her, e There 
hath not come a razor upon 

d Mic. 7. 5. e Num. 6. 5. ch. 13. 5. 



fatal secret is at length extorted from 
him, and the mighty Nazarite remains 
scarcely a common man ! So perfect- 
ly captivated and intoxicated had he 
become, notwithstanding repeated 
warnings, by the vehemence of his 
affection, that, ' like the silly dove 
without heart,' he rushed upon his 
ruin ! Had he not been completely 
infatuated, he would have seen be- 
fore that no alternative remained to 
him but to break away at once and 
at all hazards from the enchantress, 
and quit the field where it was so 
evident that he could not keep his 
ground. But no chains are stronger 
than those woven by illicit love, and 
with him who becomes their prisoner, 
reputation, life, usefulness, yea, even 
God's glory, and the salvation of the 
soul, are put to peril in obedience to 
its unhallowed dictates. But the 
righteous judgment of God is not to 
be overlooked in this fearful fall of 
the champion of Israel. Having so 
long presumptuously played with his 
ruin, Heaven leaves him to himself 
as a punishment for his former guilty 
indulgence. He is made to reap as 
he had sown, and consigned to the 
hands of his enemies for ' the de- 
struction of the flesh that the spirit 
might be saved in the day of the 
Lord Jesus.' But it becomes not us 
to exult over the apostasy of the 
fallen. ' We wonder that a man 
could possibly be so sottish, and yet 



210 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



mine head ; for I have been a 
Nazarite unto God from my mo- 
ther's womb : if I be shaven, 
then my strength will go from 
me, and I shall become weak, 
and be like any other man. 

18 And when Delilah saw that 
he had told her all his heart, 
she sent and called for the lords 



we ourselves by temptation become 
no less insensate. Sinful pleasures, 
like a common Delilah, lodge in our 
bosoms; we know they aim at nothing 
but the death of our soul ; we will 
yield to them and die. Every will- 
ing sinner is a Samson ; let us not 
inveigh against his senselessness, but 
our own : nothing is so gross and un- 
reasonable to a well-disposed mind, 
which temptation will not represent 
fit and plausible. No soul can, out 
of his own strength, secure himself 
from that sin which he most detest- 
eth.' Bp. Hall. Let us learn hence, 
(1) That fidelity is never to be ex- 
pected from those who show an utter 
unfaithfulness to God, and have stifled 
and triumphed over the inward warn- 
ing voice or conscience. (2) That 
when the heart is infatuated by un- 
lawful desire, repeated warnings of 
danger will be disregarded. (3)That 
they who feel themselves unable to 
resist the importunity of their tempt- 
ers should instantly fly from their 

dangerous presence. IT /ha ve been 

a Nazariteunto God from my mother's 
womb. "What a confession to be made 
in the lap of a vile Delilah ! What 
a commentary' upon his words was 
afforded ^by his present condition ! 
Strange that the utterance of a sen- 
tence betraying such a glaring incon- 
sistency in his conduct should not 
have awakened him from the spell 



of the Philistines, saying, Come 
up this once, for he hath show- 
ed me all his heart. Then the 
lords of the Philistines came up 
unto her, and brought money in 
their hand. 

19 f And she made him sleep 
upon her knees ; and she called 

f Prov. 7. 26, 27. 



by which he was bound, and made 
him break away with his secret but 
half divulged ! Strange, that when 
his own voice thus pronounced his 
condemnation, he should have re- 
mained as insensible as the nether 

mill-stone ! IT If I be shaven, then 

my strength will go from me, &c. 
Not that his strength lay in his hair, 
for this in fact had no natural influ- 
ence upon it, one way or the other. 
His strength arose from his peculiar 
relation to God as a Nazarite, and 
the preservation of his hair unshav- 
en or unshorn was the mark or sign 
of his Nazariteship, and a pledge on 
the part of God of the continuance 
of his miraculous physical powers. 
If he lost this sign, the badge of his 
consecration, he broke his vow, and 
consequently forfeited the thing sig- 
nified. God abandoned him, and he 
was thenceforward no more, in this 
respect, than a common man ; at 
least, was deprived of supernatural 
strength. 

18. WJien Delilah saw, &c. When 
she became satisfied by the serious 
tone in which he spake, and by the 
various tokens to be read in his coun- 
tenance, air, general manner, &c, 
that he had told her the truth. 

19. Made him sleep upon her knees. 
A custom very common in the East. 
1 It is very amusing to see a full- 
grown son, or a husband, asleep on 



B. C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



211 



for a man, and she caused him 
to shave off the seven locks of 
his head ; and she hegan to 
atilict him, and his strength 
went from him. 
20 And she said, The Philis- 



tines 



upon 



thee, Samson. 



his mother's or wife's knees. The 
plan is as follows: the female sits 
cross-legged on the carpet or mat, and 
the man having laid himself down, 
puts his head in her lap, and she 
gently taps, strokes, sings, and soothes 

him to sleep.' Roberts. TT Caused 

him to shave off. Heb. n^im xatte- 
galla'h, shaved off; that is, by the 
agency of another, as well rendered 
in our common version. ' That a man 
should be able not only to cut, but to 
shave off the hair, on which, during 
all Samson's life, razor had never 
before come, implies either that Sam- 
son slept very soundly, or that the 
man was very dexterous in his craft. 
In fact the Oriental barbers do their 
work with so much ease, as to render 
the shaving of the head (the head is 
usually shaven in the East) rather 
grateful than unpleasant. The most 
delicate sleeper would scarcely be 
awakened by it ; and even those who 
are awake are scarcely sensible of 
the operation which they are under- 
going.' Pict. Bible. IF Began to 

afflict him. That is, from this act of 
hers commenced that series of insults, 
injuries, and humiliations, which his 
enemies had before, v. 5, announced 
their intention to bring upon him. 
He had hitherto sported thoughtlessly 
upon the brink of the precipice of 
degradation and ruin, and now his 
fall can no longer be delayed. As 
the next step in his downward career, 
his miraculous strength forsakes him. 



And he awoke out of his sleep, 
and said, 1 will go out as at other 
times before, and shake myself. 
And he wist not that the Lord 
fi was departed from him. 

g Num. 14. 9, 42,43. Josh. 7. 12. 1 Sam. 
16. 14, and 18. 12. and 28. 15, 16. 2 Chron. 
15.2. 



IT His strength went from him. 

Having now violated the conditions 
of his Nazarite vow, on which it de- 
pended. ' He that sleeps in sin must 
look to wake in loss and weakness.' 
Bp. Hall. 

20. Awoke out of his sleep, and said. 
That is, said to himself, thought, re- 
solved. IT Will go out — and shake 

myself. Shake myself free from the 
fetters with which I am bound, and 
rid myself of the enemies that would 
be upon me. It is not indeed ex- 
pressly stated that he was bound at 
this time, but the probability is that 
such was the case, that Delilah had 
slyly tied his hands while he was 

asleep. IT Wist not that the Lord 

was departed from him. Being new- 
ly awakened out of sleep, he knew 
not that his head had been shaven of 
its locks, and therefore did not sus- 
pect that God had withdrawn his 
special influences from him. This 
circumstance may serve as a striking 
illustration of what often happens to 
those who have provoked God by 
their transgressions. By a righteous 
dereliction he leaves them ; he with- 
draws his favorable presence; and 
yet, like Samson, they are not aware 
of the desertion. They feel not the 
loss they have sustained ; at least till 
they begin to be sensible by frustrated 
schemes and adverse providences, 
that it is not with them as in days 
that are past. Though their souls 
languish and grow weak, and their 



212 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



21 IT But the Philistines took 
him, and put out his eyes, and 
brought him down to Gaza, and 

gifts as well as their graces wither, 
and others perceive their spiritual 
decline, yetastrange delusionis upon 
them ; they know not their real state ; 
they fancy themselves in health and 
prosperity when the sources of both 
are effectually undermined within 
them. ' God is departed from him' 
expresses one of the most fearful 
forms of the divine judgments. 

21. Put out his eyes. Heb. "HlPD* 1 
ye?iakkeru } bored out. ' With the 
Greeks and Asiatics, the way of put- 
ting out the eyes, or blinding, was 
not (always) by palling or cutting 
out the eyes, as some have imagined ; 
but by drawing, or holding a red-hot 
iron before them. This method is 
still in use in Asia. According to 
Chard in, however, the pupils of the 
eyes were more frequently pierced 
and destroyed on such occasions. 
But Thevenot says, 'that the eyes 
in those barbarous acts are taken 
out whole, with the point of a dag- 
ger, and carried to the king in a ba- 
sin.' He adds, that, ' as the king- 
sends whom he pleases to do that 
cruel office, some princes are so but- 
chered by unskilful hands, that it 
costs them their lives.' In Persia it 
is no unusual practice for the king to 
punish a rebellious city or province 
by exacting so many pounds of eyes; 
and his executioners accordingly go 
and scoop out from every one they 
meet, till they have the weight re- 
quired.' Burder. Thus was the 
lust of the eye in looking after and 
gazing upon strange women punish- 
ed. The offending organ that he 
had refused to pluck out was in 



bound him with fetters of brass ; 
and he did grind in the prison- 
house. 



effect plucked out for him in the 

righteous providence of God. 

U Bound him with fetters of brass. A 
proof that iron, though now well 
known, had not yet come into gene- 
ral use ; as otherwise we should 
doubtless have found Samson bound 
with fetters of that material. The 
emphasis here is not on brass, as dis- 
tinguished from any other metal ; but 
to show that his fetters were of metal ; 
and that he was not, like the common 
class of offenders, bound with ropes 

or thongs of leather. IT He did 

grind in the prison-house. Of course 
with mill-stones worked by the hands, 
this being still the usual method of 
grinding corn in the East. It is an 
employment, however, which usually 
devolves on women ; and to assign 
it to such a man as Samson, was 
doubtless with a view to reduce him 
to the lowest state of degradation and 
dishonor. To grind corn for others, 
was, even for a woman, a proverbial 
term, expressing the most degraded 
and oppressed condition ; and how 
much more for Samson, who seems 
to have been made grinder-general 
for the prison-house. 

'Ask for this great deliverer now, and find 

him 
Eyeless at Gaza, at the mill with slaves.' 
Milton. 

The champion and avenger of Israel 
is now become the drudge and the 
sport of the Philistines. The crown 
is fallen from his head, and his honor 
laid in the dust. We are ready to 
pity the degraded judge of Israel, 
when we see him reduced to such a 
I state of misery by his enemies ; but 



B.C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



213 



22 Howbeit the hair of his 
head began to grow again after 
he was shaven. 

23 Then the lords of the Phi- 



while we pity the man, we congratu- 
late the sinner, to whose final salva- 
tion these heavy trials were made 
subservient. Let us not, however, 
lose sight of the solemn lesson which 
his misery teaches us. What a 
warning to those who ' yield their 
members instruments of iniquity.' 
They will find their bondage bitter 
and unbearable when they are final- 
ly bound with the chains which their 
sins have forged for them. 

22. The hair of his head began to 
grow again, after he v:as shaven. Ra- 
ther, Heb. ' according as it had been 
shaved ;' i. e. in the same proportions 
as it had been cut off. This circum- 
stance, though in itself inconsidera- 
ble, is mentioned by way of suitable 
preface to what follows. The let- 
ting the hair grow was a prominent 
circumstance in the condition of a 
Nazarite ; and the extraordinary 
strength of Samson was not a matter 
of thews and sinews, but was con- 
ferred upon him as a special gift of 
God, on condition of his remaining 
in the state of Nazariteship. The 
loss of his hair did not in itself de- 
prive him of strength; but the loss 
of his hair involved the loss of his 
strength, because it took from him 
the condition of a Nazarite, with 
which his extraordinary physical 
powers were inseparably connected. 
Accordingly, when we find him 
again growing strong, after the re- 
newed growth of his hair, we are 
bound to believe that it was not be- 
cause his hair grew; but because he 
repented of his past misconduct. 



listines gathered them together, 
for to offer a great sacrifice unto 
Dagon their god, and to rejoice : 
for they said, Our god hath de- 



God was pleased, therefore, having 
hereby become reconciled to his of- 
fending servant, to accept the re- 
newal of his vow of Nazariteship, 
including the consecration of his 
hair, and in consequence of that ac- 
ceptance re-invested him, as his hair 
grew, with the powers which he had 
before lost. In the language of Bp. 
Hall, 'his hair grew together with 
his repentance, and his strength with 
his hair.' The practical reflections 
of the same writer on this part of 
Samson's history are equally striking 
and just. ' It is better for Samson to 
be blind in prison, than to abuse his 
eyes in Sorek ; yea, I may safely 
say, he was more blind when he saw 
licentiously, than now that he sees 
not ; he was a greater slave when he 
served his affections, than now in 
grinding for the Philistines. The 
loss of his eyes shows him his sin, 
neither could he see how ill he had 
done till he saw not.' Bp. Hall. 

23. The lords of the Philistines 
gathered them together, &c. This 
great festival scene had evidently 
been some time delayed, as appears 
from the fact of Samson's hair hav- 
ing had time to grow in the inter- 
val ; but perhaps the necessary pre- 
parations for so grand an occasion 
consumed considerable time, or it 
may have been the second anniversa- 
ry of the deliverance of their enemy 

into their hands. M Unto Dagon 

their god. A deity of the Philistines 
generally represented as having the 
head and upper parts human, while 
the rest of the body resembled a fish. 



214 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



livered Samson our enemy into 
our hand. 

24 And when the people saw 
him, they h praised their god : 
for they said, Our god hath de- 
livered into our hands our ene- 
my, and the destroyer of our 
country ; which slew many of 
us. 

25 And it came to pass, when 
their hearts were 'merry, that 
they said, Call for Samson that 
he may make us sport. And 
they called for Samson out of 
the prison-house ; and he made 

h Dan. 5. 4. i ch. 9. 27. 

It was called Derceto, among the 
heathens, though the Heb. word 'Da- 
gon,' comes from ' Dag,' a fish. The 
Philistines living on the sea coast, 

they had a sea-idol. ^ Our god hath 

delivered, &c. Though they knew 
that he was betrayed into their hands 
by Delilah, yet they foolishly attrib- 
ute it to their god. The circumstance, 
however, affords a hint worth taking. 
If even a Philistine ascribes his vic- 
tories to his idol gods, how much 
more are we bound to pay a similar 
tribute to our God, and give him the 
glory of every great and good work 
done by us, in us, or for us. 

25. When their hearts were merry. 
Heb. M^5 DTD ^5 hi tab libbam, when 
their heart was good. A parallel 
usage occurs Ruth, 3. 7; 1 Sam. 25. 

36, and elsewhere. IT That he may 

make us sport. That is, passively, 
that he may be a subject of sport and 
merriment to us ; that we may make 
ourselves merry at his expense. It 
is quite improbable, we think, that 
Samson, a poor blind prisoner, should 
be required actively to engage in any 
thing that should make sport to his 



them sport: and they set him 
between the pillars. 

26 And Samson said unto the 
lad that held him by the hand, 
Suffer me that I may feel the 
pillars whereupon the house 
standeth, that I may lean upon 
them. 

27 Now the house was full of 
men and women : and all the 
lords of the Philistines were 
there : and there were upon the 
k roof about three thousand men 
and women, that beheld while 
Samson made sport. 

k Deut. 22. 8. 



enemies. The idea doubtless is sim- 
ply, that he should be brought out to 
become a laughing-stock to them, a 
butt for their scoffs, mockeries, and 
insults. Accordingly the Sept. ver- 
sion of the next clause has, 'And 
they buffeted him ;' and Josephus says, 
he was brought out, ' that they might 
insult him in their cups.' But their 
triumphing was short, and their joy 
but for a moment. ' Nothing fills the 
measure of the iniquity of any per- 
son, or people, faster than mocking, 
or misusing the servants of God, yea, 
though it is by their own folly that 
they are brought low. Those know 
not what they do, nor whom they af- 
front, that make sport with a good 
man.' Henry. 

27. Upon the roof about three thou- 
sand men and women. The house or 
temple itself was full of the princi- 
pal people below ; while about three 
thousand, probably of the lower or- 
ders, had stationed themselves upon 
the roof, the roofs of eastern build- 
ings, as is well known, being gene- 
rally flat. In answer to the question, 
how this large number of persons on 



B. C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



215 



28 And Samson called unto 
the Lord, and said, O Lord 
God, ' remember me, I pray 
thee, and strengthen me, I pray 

> Jer. 15. 15. 



the roof could have seen Samson 
while made the subject of mirth be- 
low 1— it may be remarked, that we 
are to form our ideas of the scene 
from the style of building common 
to the East. The edifice in question 
undoubtedly formed a part of a quad- 
rangular pile of building and walls, 
having a court or area in the centre, 
where Samson might be exhibited 
with ease to the whole assembled 
multitude. The principal building 
in such structures generally occu- 
pies that side of theinclosure which 
faces the entrance, and is advanced 
considerably out of the line of the 
square. It is, moreover, usually 
constructed with an open front to 
afford a clear view of what is going 
on in the court, having curtains to 
be drawn up or let down at pleasure, 
and supported by two or more pillars 
either in the front or in the centre. 
Samson probably after having been 
for some time paraded about the 
area, where every one could see him, 
requested to be conducted within the 
part of the edifice now described, 
that he might rest himself against 
its pillars, see on v. 29. 

28. Samson called unto the Lord, 
and said, &c. It is scarcely to be 
presumed that this prayer was ut- 
tered audibly. It was rather, we 
may suppose, a mental petition, 
breathed forth from the depths of a 
broken heart, where godly sorrow 
had been doing its perfect work. 
But though the voice of his prayer 
was not heard of man, yet it was 



thee, only this once, O God, 
that I may be at once avenged 
of the Philistines for my two 
eyes. 
29 And Samson took hold of 



graciously heard and answered of 
God, and though he himself did not 
live to recite or record it, yet God, 
by revealing it to the inspired pen- 
man, provided for its being register- 
ed for the benefit of the church. 
Whether it is to be considered as 
embracing all that he inwardly ut- 
tered, or merely the general drift, 
the substance of it, is uncertain ; 
probably the latter, according to pre- 
vailing usage in the Scripture style 
of narration. By praying that God 
would once more remember and 
strengthen him, he virtually acknow- 
ledged that all the wonderful exploits 
he had hitherto performed were ow- 
ing to a strength given him from 
above, and that he would be power- 
less for the present achievement un- 
less the same divine aid were granted 
him. True it is, if we regard the 
bare letter of his petition, it has the 
air of being prompted mainly by a 
spirit of revenge ; but from God's ac- 
cepting and answering the prayer, it 
cannot be doubted, that he looked 
upon himself in this transaction, not 
as a private but as a public person, 
extraordinarily called to be the in- 
strument of a signal act of vengeance 
to the enemies of Israel and of God. 
The indignities heaped upon him- 
self had indeed been great and griev- 
ous, and such as would be in fact 
worthily punished in the catastrophe 
which he meditated. But this was 
not his leading motive. The con- 
sideration of his personal sufferings 
was merged in a holy zeal for the 



216 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1120. 



the two middle pillars upon 
which the house stood, and on 
which it was borne up, of the 
one with his right hand, and of 
the other with his left. 

30 And Samson said, Let me 
die with the Philistines. And 

Lord of hosts, the vindication of 
whose glory was of infinitely more 
consequence than the avengement 
of his own wrongs. In putting out 
his eyes, they had ' touched the apple' 
of God's eye, and this was not to be 
done with impunity. Under the in- 
fluence of this feeling, combined 
with the consciousness that his own 
past misconduct would be no more 
than justly visited by a painful end, 
he cheerfully devotes himself to 
death. 

29. Took hold of the tvjo middle 
pillars upon which the house stood. 
To this it has been objected, How 
could a roof capable of accommodat- 
ing three thousand persons, be sup- 
ported upon two pillars ? But it is 
not said that there were no more 
than two. There might have been 
several others not standing in the 
middle or central part of the build- 
ing, which contributed to the support 
of the roof, when at the same time 
the removal of the two in question, 
would, more than all the rest, endan- 
ger the fall of the whole edifice. 
The celebrated architect, Sir Chris- 
topher Wren, says, that in consider- 
ing what kind of fabric it must be 
that could with one pull be demolish- 
ed, he conceived to himself a vast 
roof of cedar beams resting at one 
end upon the walls, and centering at 
the other upon one short architrave 
that united two cedar pillars in the 
middle. c One pillar would not be 



he bowed himself with all his 
might ; and the house fell upon 
the lords, and upon all the peo- 
ple that were therein. So the 
dead which he slew at his death 
were more than they which he 
slew in his life. 



sufficient to unite the ends of at least 
one hundred beams that tended to 
the centre; therefore, I say, there 
must have been a short architrave 
resting upon two pillars, upon which 
all the beams tending to the centre 
might be supported. Now if Sam- 
son by his miraculous strength press- 
ing on one (or both) these pillars, 
moved it from its basis, the whole 
roof must of necessity fall.' (Hew- 
lett's Bible.) IT On which it was 

borne up. This idea had been al- 
ready expressed in the words imme- 
diately preceding, nor does the ori- 
ginal so well admit this rendering. 
The Heb. ton^3> yiW yissamek 
alehem, may, we think, be more cor- 
rectly translated, ' he leaned or stay- 
ed himself upon them.' 

30. Let me die. J am content to 
die, if the glory of God requires it ; 
as at once a suitable punishment to 
me, and means of judgment to the 
Philistines. Heb. ' let my soul die :' 
i. e. according to Hebrew usage, let 
my life become extinct. As to his 
' soul,' as we understand the term, he 
would of course pray that that might 
live. Samson's death is no warrant 
for suicide, as it does not appear that 
he directly sought it, or designed to 
bring it about any farther than as it 
might be the inevitable consequence 
of destroying so many of the enemies 
of his people. He may be considered 
therefore as having perished in the 
same way as if he had fallen in bat- 



B. C. 1120.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



217 



31 Then his brethren and all 
the house of his father came 
down, and took him, and brought 
him up, and m buried him be- 

m ch. 13. 25. 

tie like Josiah, 2 Chron. 36. 23, 34, 
resisting the invaders of his country. 

IT He bowed himself with all his 

might, and the house fell^ &c. With 
arms extended he grasps the massy 
pillars, and feeling an answer to his 
prayer in the renewed strength be- 
stowed upon him, he bends himself 
forward with all his force ; the pil- 
lars rock, the building totters, the roof, 
encumbered with the weight of the 
spectators, rushes down, and death in 
every tremendous shape appears. 
Crashed under the load or dashed to 
pieces in the fall, thousands expire. 
Their music is now changed to dy- 
ing groans ; and shrieks of agonizing 
pain, instead of songs of triumph, nil 
the air. Thus dies the mighty Sam- 
son, triumphant in his fall, and more 
terrible to the Philistines in his death 
than even during his life. Who can 
in this but be reminded of that ado- 
rable Saviour, who ' triumphed over 
principalities and powers upon the 
cross, and by death overcame him 
that had the power of death, and de- 
livered those who through fear of 
death were all their lifetime subject 
to bondage? 

31. Then his brethren — came down 
and took him. The overwhelming 
catastrophe which had destroyed the 
lives of so many of the lords and in- 
ferior rulers of the people, seems to 
have been such a crush to the Phil- 
istine power, that they troubled Is- 
rael no more for several years, and 
did not even attempt to hinder Sam- 
son's relations from taking away 
19 



tween Zorah and Eshtaol in the 
burying-place of Manoah his 
father. And he judged Israel 
twenty years. 



and burying his dead body. It was 
selected out from heaps of the slain, 
brought honorably to his own coun- 
try, and interred in the sepulchre of 
his fathers. — Thus terminates the 
history of one of the most remark- 
able personages that ever distin- 
guished the annals of the Jewish 
or any other people. We may learn 
from it, that great gifts are often 
connected with great imperfections. 
The champion of Israel possessed 
courage and strength, and did signal 
service to his country in contending 
with its enemies ; but he had little 
self-government, and affords a mel- 
ancholy proof how little corporeal 
prowess avails when judgment and 
prudence are wanting, and how dan- 
gerous, in fact, are all such, gifts in 
the hands of any one, who has not 
his passions under proper discipline, 
and the fear of God continually be- 
fore his eyes. While, as a Nazarite, 
he was careful to abstain from strong 
drink, he took little heed to cultivate 
that purity of sentiment and conduct 
which is a crown to every other ex- 
cellence, and the want of which 
never fails to sully the lustre of the 
brightest characters. — It may here 
be remarked, that from the history 
of Samson it is generally supposed 
was derived that of the Hercules of 
the pagan mythology, and M. De 
Lavour, an ingenious French writer, 
has drawn out the parallel at full 
length, an abridgment of which may 
be seen in Dr. A. Clark's commen- 
tary. The coincidences are certain- 



218 



UBGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

AND there was a man of 
mount Ephraim, whose 
name was Micah. 
2 And he said unto his mother, 



\y very striking, and to most minds 
"would perhaps afford an additional 
proof of how much the heathen have 
been indebted to the Bible. 



CHAPTER XVIL 

That the events related in the re- 
maining chapters of this book did 
not occur in the order in which they 
stand in the sacred narrative, is uni- 
versally admitted. They constitute 
a regular appendix to the book, 
which is inserted here that it might 
not interrupt the previous history of 
the Judges. The events themselves 
occurred long before the time of 
Samson, and probably in the interval 
that ensued after the death of Joshua 
and the elders who outlived him, and 
while the government was in a very 
unsettled state. In chronological 
order, the proper place for these 
chapters would undoubtedly be be- 
tween ch. 2. and 3., as remarked on 
ch. 3. 11. The history comprehend- 
ed in the present and the following 
chapter, is obviously connected with 
ch. 1. 34, where the reasons of the 
emigration of a part of the tribe of 
Dan to the northern quarter of Ca- 
naan are stated. ' The Amorites 
forced the children of Dan into the 
mountain ; for they would not suffer 
them to come down to the valley.' 
The consequence was, they sought 
a more enlarged inheritance, and 
while in the course of possessing 
themselves of this, the events here 
related, resulting in the establish- 
ment of idolatry in that tribe, oc- 



The eleven hundred shekels of 
silver that were taken from thee, 
about which thou cursedst, and 
spakest of also in mine ears, be- 
hold, the silver is with me ; I 



curred. The sad story of the Le- 
vite's concubine and the war with 
Benjamin, occupies the remaining 
part of the appendix. These inci- 
dents are expressly said, ch. 20. 28, 
to have occurred while Phineas, the 
grandson of Aaron, was high-priest, 
and must therefore be assigned to 
about the same period. 

1. A man of mount Ephraim, whose 
name was Micah. Heb. TiT^fcJ 
Mikdyehu, (i. e. who is like Jeho- 
vah 1) but in the subsequent narra- 
tive the name is uniformly contract- 
ed into fD^fr Mikah. This the Jew- 
ish writers say is owing to the fact 
of his having become an idolator, 
after which event the sacred pen- 
man, they affirm, regarded it as a 
profanation of the name Jehovah to 
have it connected in any manner 
with his. By ' mount Ephraim ' here 
is meant, as usual, th^ mountainous 
parts of Ephraim. 

2. About which thou cursedst. Pro- 
nouncedst an imprecation upon the 
thief; or, perhaps, didst adjure or 
put under oath all the family to dis- 
cover the money. It is not unlikely 
that Micah, hearing this, was alarm- 
ed and restored the money, lest the 
curses should fall on him. Although 
not sufficiently restrained by moral 
principle to forbear the theft, yet his 
conscience had not yet become so 
hardened as to allow him to keep 
what he had stolen in despite of his 
mother's imprecations. This shows 
that he was a novice, and not a vet- 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVII. 



219 



took it. And his mother said, 
a Blessed be thou of the Lord, 
my son. 

3 And when he had restored 
the eleven hundred shekels of 
silver to his mother, his mother 
said, I had wholly dedicated the 

a Gen. 14. 19. Ruth 3. 10. 

eran, in sin ; as otherwise he would 
not have scrupled to deny, excuse, 
or defend it, as he saw fit. 

3. / had wholly dedicated the silver 
unto the Lord. A striking illustra- 
tion of the mistaken ideas which had 
arisen in Israel, and which gradu- 
ally led them on to downright 
idolatry. Micah and his mother 
seem to have intended to honor the 
true God by their proceedings, which 
were nevertheless so contrary to the 
law. as really to expose them to be 
ptmished by death. What they did 
seems to have been to set up a little 
religious establishment similar to 
that ai Shiloh, with an imitation of 
the ark. cherubim, priestly dresses, 
&c, and finally crowning the whole 
by obtaining a Levite to officiate as 
priest; and all the while they thought 
they were doing God service ! So 
blind and deluded in all ages have 
been those who have added their hu- 
man inventions to God's perfect sys- 
tem of worship ' If religion might 
be judged according to the (profess- 
ed intention, there should scarce be 
any idolatry in the world.' Bp. Hall. 

IT Now therefore I will restore it 

unto thee. The apparent confusion 
in what is said in this and the ensu- 
ing verse of the 'restoring' of the 
money, affords no little plausibility to 
the rendering of this clause proposed 
by Schmid, l And then I will restore 
it unto thee,' i. e. after it has passed 



silver unto the Lord from my 
hand for my son, to b make a 
graven image and a molten 
image : now therefore I will re- 
store it unto thee. 

4 Yet he restored the money 
unto his mother ; and his mother 

b See Ex. 20.4,23. Lev. 19. 4. 



through the hands of the founder and 
been converted to the proposed ima- 
ges. Of these it would seem from 
the letter of the text that there were 
two, one sculptured of wood or stone, 
and then plated with silver, the other 
made of the solid metal cast in a 
mould. The original, however, will 
perhaps admit of the rendering, : a 
graven image, even a molten image;' 
i. e. an image in the first place grav- 
en or sculptured, and then molten, or 
spread over with a layer of silver. 
The latter we think the preferable 
sense, especially as in ch. 18. 30, 31, 
mention is made only of the graven 
image, and in the final clause of v. 
4, of this chapter, it is said in the 
original, : And it was in the house 
of Micah,' though in our version 
arbitrarily and erroneously rendered, 
'And they were in the house.' It will 
be remarked, moreover, that she ap- 
propriated only two hundred out of 
the eleven hundred shekels to this 
purpose, which would hardly have 
been sufficient for the construction 
of even one image of any size • 
whereas if the silver were employed 
in plating or gilding, the quantity 
would have been ample for a good 
sized statue. The remaining nine 
hundred shekels were probably laid 
out in the procurement of various 
other articles necessary to complete 
their sacred apparatus, particularly 
the ephod and teraphim. 



220 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406, 



c took two hundred shekels of 
silver, and gave them to the 
founder, who made thereof a 
graven image and a molten 
image : and they were in the 
house of Micah. 

5 And the man Micah had an 
house of gods, and made an 

c Isa. 46. 6. 

4. Yet he restored the money. Heb. 
tpifl Da lawn vayyashev eth hakke- 
seph, and he restored the money. This 
should rather be rendered, ' So he re- 
stored the money.' The particle 
' yet ' has an adversative import, and 
implies something said or done in 
contrariety to another thing which 
had happened before ; and in this 
place it would convey this sense : 
' Notwithstanding what she said to 
him, yet he returned the money.' 
But he had returned the money be- 
fore she spake to him last, and there- 
fore there is no contrariety to be sup- 
posed. 'So,' on the other hand, is 
confirmative by repetition of what 
has been said. ' So,' that is, ' as it was 
before observed, he returned the 
money.' The conjunction \ here 
translated ' yet,' often signifies ' so,' 
and is thus rightly rendered, as v. 10 
of this chapter, and v. 21 of the next. 

5. And the man Micah had an house 
of gods. Heb. tPS 1> fl^fe EP»n 
ETli>& vehaish Mikahlobeth Elohim, 
and as to the man Micah, there was to 
him a house of God,' as the closing 
phrase may be rendered. It is spok- 
en of as the result of the whole trans- 
action ; q. d. 'Thus they managed 
the matter, and lo ! the man, the 
humble individual, Micah, became 
possessed of a house of God, a sanc- 
tuary !' implying not that it was 
really such, but that it was such in 



d ephod and Heraphim, and con- 
secrated one of his sons, who 
became his priest. 

6 f In those days there vms no 
king in Israel, s but every man 
did that which was right in his 
own eyes. 

d ch. 8. 27. e Gen. 31. 19, 30. Hos, 3. 4. 
Ex. 29. 9. 1 Kings 13. 33. f ch. 18. 1. and 
19. 1, and 21 . 25. Deut. 33. 5. g Deut. 12. 8. 



his estimation. The words convey a 
latent touch of sarcasm or irony, and 
ought properly to constitute a period 
by themselves ; the next clause would 
then begin with the repetition of the 
person, ' and he made,' &c, i. e. pro- 
cured to be made. Of the Ephod, see 
on Ex. 28. 4 ; of the Teraphim, on 
Gen. 21. 19, 30; and of the import 
of the Heb. word for ' consecrate,' 
Ex. 29. 9, 41 ; Lev. 7. 37. 

6. In those days there was no king 
in Israel, &c. Intimating the reasi n 
to which it was owing that such 
gross enormities as those here men- 
tioned should have occurred. There 
was no king, judge, or controlling 
power to take cognizance of them ; 
no one to give orders for destroying 
the images ; no one to convince 
Micah of his error and guilt in 
making them, or to punish his of- 
fence ; no one, in fine, to arrest in 
the outset an evil which was likely 
to spread and infect the whole na- 
tion. ' Every man did that which 
was right in his own eyes, and then 
they soon did that which was evil in 

the sight of the Lord.' Henry. 

"ft Did that which was right in his own 
eyes. The original term ^TS^ yashar, 
is the same as that applied by Sam- 
son, ch. 13. 3, to the Philistine wo- 
man whom he urged his parents to 
procure for him, ' She is right in my 
eyes,' on which see note. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVII. 



221 



7 IT And there was a young 
man out of l, Beth-lehem-judah 
of the family of Judah, Mho vjcis 
a Levite, and he sojourned there. 

S And the man departed out 
of the city from Beth-lehem- 
judah,to sojourn where he could 
find a place; and he came to 
mount Ephraim to the house of 
Micah, as he journeyed. 

h See Josh. 19. 15. ch. 19. 1. Ruth I. 1, 
2. Mic 5. 2. Matt. 2. 1, 5, 6. 



7. A young man of Beth-lehem- Ju- 
dah. So called to distinguish it from 
another Bethlehem in the tribe of 

Zebulun. Josh. 19. 15. IF Of the 

family of Judah. This is doubtless 
to be understood, not of the young 
man, but of the city. He was of that 
city Bethlehem which pertained to 
the family (i. e. tribe) of Judah, thus 
distinguishing the place with still 
greater accuracy. Otherwise the 
words are scarcely intelligible ; for 
how could a Levite be at the same 

time of the family of Judahl HAnd 

he sojourn-ed tliere. Sojourned rather 
than permanently dwelt ; for Beth- 
lehem was not a Levitical city, and 
therefore not the appropriate resi- 
dence of one of the priestly tribe. 
But it is probable that a good deal of 
liberty was allowed in this respect, 
and that especially in times of gen- 
eral laxness and confusion, the Le- 
vites were dispersed in a very irre- 
gular manner over every part of the 
land. 

8. And the man departed, &c. 
Prompted either by fancied neces- 
sity from the difficulty of obtaining 
a livelihood, or by the impulse of a 
roving mind ; or rather perhaps from 
the influence of both these causes 
combined. The times were un- 
doubtedly sadly degenerate, and the 

19* 



| 9 And Micah said unto him, 
! Whence comest thou ? And he 
j said unto him, I am a Levite of 
: Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to 
j sojourn where I may find a place. 
10 And Micah said unto him, 
Dwell with me, 'and be unto 
me a k father and a priest, and I 
will give thee ten shekels of sil- 
ver by the year, and a suit of 

i ch. 18. 19. k Gen. 45. 8. Job 29. 16. 

whole Levitical order reduced to 
straits, yet it is scarcely conceivable 
that a Levite, for whom the law had 
made such express provision, Deut. 
12, 19, saying, ' Take heed to thyself 
that thou forsake not the Levite as 
long as thou livest upon the earth,' 
should actually have been forced to 
wander for a maintenance. It was 
probably rather owing to a native 
waywardness of disposition. Nor is 
there any thing related of this indi- 
vidual calculated to shield him frcm 

such an imputation. IT He came to 

— the house of Micah as he journeyed. 
Heb. 13-n miBSb laasoth darko, to 
make his way. That is, without the 
design of tarrying. He merely ' turn- 
ed aside as a wayfaring man to tarry 
for a night,' and contrary to his ex- 
pectation found an opening of which 
he rashly concluded to avail himself. 
10. Be unto me a father and a priest. 
That is, be unto me a father' even a 
priest, a spiritual father, a teacher, 
guide, or overseer in religious things; 
in which sense the word ' father' re- 
peatedly occurs in the sacred writers. 
See 2 Kings 6. 21 ; 8. 9 ; 13. 4 ; Is. 
22. 21. 'He pretends reverence and 
submission to him, and what is want- 
ing in wages, he pays him in empty 

titles.' Poole. IT A suit of apparel. 

Heb. S^TO *pS trek begadim, an 



222 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



apparel, and thy victuals. So 
the Levite went in. 

11 And the Levite was con- 
tent to dwell with the man ; and 
the young man was unto him as 
one of his sons, 

12 And Micah Consecrated 

1 ver. 5. 

order of garments ; Coceeius, ' a fit- 
ting out of garments,' i. e. such as 
would be suitable to wear on ordina- 
ry occasions, and such as he should 

need in his official ministrations. 

IT So the Levite went in. By no means 
the exact import of the original, 
which is "p^T vayelek, and he went 
or walked, whereas the appropriate 
term for ' went in ' is SO* 1 ! vayabo. 
They were doubtless already in the 
house, when the bargain was con- 
cluded. Either the sense given to the 
words by Jarchi, ' And he went after 
his counsels ,' i. e. Micah's; or that as- 
signed by Kimchi, ' And he went 
about the duties of his office' comes 
undoubtedly much nearer the scope 
of the writer. For the use of ' walk' 
in the sense of ministerial service, see 
1 Sam. 2. 30, 35; and also note on 
Gen. 5. 22. 

11. The Levite was content to 
dwell. The original implies a pecu- 
liar complacency in dwelling with his 
employer. Being kindly treated and 
receiving respectable wages for the 
times, he thought himself happy in 
lighting upon so eligible a situation. 
12. Consecrated the Levite. Heb. 
Ti n& \&12^ yemalle eth yad, filled 
his hand ; furnished him with the 
proper offering which he was to pre- 
sent on his inauguration. The act, 
however, was wholly unlawful. Mi- 
cah had no right even to undertake 
to set apart a person to the priestly 



the Levite ; and the young man 
"became his priest, and was in 
the house of Micah. 

13 Then said Micah, Now 
know I that the Lord will do 
me good, seeing I have a Levite 
to my priest. 

m ch. 18. 30. 



office, nor had the Levite any right 
to think of accepting such a dignity, 
even had the occasion been lawful, 
for it appears from ch. 18. 30, that 
this young man, whose name was 
Jonathan, was not of Aaron's family, 
but the son of Gershom. another 
branch of the sarrle tribe. 

13. Now know I that the Lord will 
dome good, seeing, &c. Having pro- 
vided an epitome of the tabernacle, 
with models of its various furniture, 
such as the ark, the mercy-seat, the 
cherubim, &c, and having procured 
the proper sacerdotal vestments, with 
a Levite to wear them and officiate, 
he takes it for granted that all will 
now be well, and that he may confi- 
dently expect the divine blessing. 
His delusion in this was very gross, 
and yet how strikingly does it repre- 
sent the false confidences of ungodly 
men in every age. The fact of his 
having put away his son from the 
priesthood of his establishment, and 
appointed one of the Levitical order, 
seems to have banished all his doubts 
and fears as to the issue, though his 
graven image still remained. In 
like manner, thousands natter them- 
selves that a partial reformation of 
conduct, or the correction of a single 
fault, will atone for persisting in mul- 
titudes of others, and that a decent 
observance of the prescribed forms of 
religion will answer in the place of 
spirituality of mind and real purity 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



223 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

IN a those days there was no 
king in Israel : and in those 
days l the tribe of the Danites 
sought them an inheritance to 
dwell in ; for unto that day all 
their inheritance had not fallen 
unto them among the tribes of 
Israel. 
2 And the children of Dan 

a ch. 17. 6, and 21. 23. b Josh. 19. 47. 



of heart. Though they retain their 
idols, they will still cleave to their 
altar and priest, and, serving God 
according to such rules as they have 
laid down for themselves, have no fears 
but that all will be well with them 
both in this world and the next. And 
yet how often is it the case, that the 
very deeds of self-righteousness, in 
which they rely as commending them 
to God's favor, are precisely the ones 
which he most abhors, and which 
most effectually incur his wrath 1 
Let us then renounce every vain con- 
fidence. Let us not promise our- 
selvesexemption from ill on the mere 
ground of external privileges, or sa- 
cred relations. The Jews could boast 
of having Abraham to their father, 
and the temple of God for their place 
of worship, arid esteem this a suffi- 
cient ground of hope, though living 
in constant violation of every known 
duty. Thus too it is certain that 
many from the fact of being born of 
pious parents, dwelling in praying 
families, enjoying a valuable minis- 
try, and being associated with the ex- 
cellent of the earth, build a hope that 
all will be well with them, though 
they are heedless of ( ultivating the 
graces of the Spirit, and of laying 
hold of eternal life. All such fan- 
cied security is but exemplifying the 



sent of their family five men 
from their coasts, men of valor, 
from c Zorah, and from Eshtaol, 
d to spy out the land, and to 
search it ; and they said unto 
them, Go, search the land : who 
when they came to mount Eph- 
raim, to the e house of Micah, 
they lodged there. 

c ch. 13. 25. J Num. 13. 17. Josh. 2. 1 
e ch. 17. 1. 



infatuation of Micah when he said, 
' Now know I that the Lord will do 
me good, seeing that I have a Le- 
vite to my priest.' 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

1. In those days there was no king 
in Israel. That is, about the time 
mentioned in the preceding chapter, 
and not long after the death of Josh- 
ua. % The tribe cj "the Danites. Not 

the whole, but a part of this tribe, 
some families of it, to the number of 
six hundred men of war with their 

households, v. 16, 21. MUnto that 

day all their inheritance had not fall- 
en unto them among the tribes of Isra- 
el. Not but that the tribe of Dan had 
had an inheritance assigned to them 
as well as the other tribes, Josh. 19. 
40, but up to this time they were not 
in the actual enjoyment of their pos- 
session. In consequence of their 
culpable remissness in expelling the 
old inhabitants, they lost the advan- 
tages they might otherwise have 
gained over them, and not only so, 
but as appears from Josh. 19. 47, 
(where see note) a part of their terri- 
tories had actually been wrested out 
of their hands, leaving them so strait- 
ened for room, that a portion of the 
tribe was induced to migrate to a dis- 
tant section of the land in quest of 



224 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



3 When they were by the Louse 
of Micah, they knew the voice 
of the young man the Levite : 
and they turned in thither, and 
said unto him, Who brought 
thee hither ? and what makest 
thou in this place? and what 
hast thou here ? 

4 And he said unto them, 
Thus and thus dealeth Micah 

f ch. 17. 10. 

ampler accommodations. See a brief 
account of this, Josh. 19. 47. 

2. Men of valor. Heb. ^H "02 

bene 'hayil, sons of valor. If They 

lodged there. Not in the house, but 
by it, as is evident from the next 
verse. 

3. Knew the voice of Ike young man. 
Either recognised him in this way as 
an old acquaintance, or perceived 
by his dialect, his mode of pronuncia- 
tion, that although now residing at 
mount Ephraim he was yet of a dif- 
ferent stock; for we have already 
seen that the Ephraimites had a pro- 
nunciation peculiar to themselves. 

ch. 12. 6. IT What makest thou? 

Rather, what doest thou. tf What 

hast thou here ? Hast thou a family 
with thee, and what are thy means 
of subsistence 1 

5. Ask counsel, I pray thee, of God. 
We see from this circumstance how 
deep was the degeneracy of the times. 
Had these men of Dan possessed the 
spirit of true Israelites, they would 
have been indignant to learn that a ri- 
val sanctuary to that of Shiloh had 
been set up, and that a renegade Le- 
vite had sacrilegiously assumed the 
functions of the sacred office. But 
the circumstance, instead of giving 
rise to censure or remonstrance, seems 
rather to have ministered occasion 



with me, and hath f hired me, 
and I am his priest. 

5 And they said unto him 
g Ask counsel, we pray thee, 
b of God, that we may know 
whether our way which we go 
shall be prosperous. 

6 And the priest said unto 
them, ' Go in peace : before the 
Lord is your way wherein ye go. 

g 1 Kings 22. 5. Isa. 30. I. Hos. 4. 12. 
h See ch. 17. 5, and vei. 14. i 1 Kings 22. 6. 

for drawing out the latent idolatrous 
propensities of their own hearts. 
Probably, conscious of having neg- 
lected at the outset of their expedition 
to eonsult the Most High and im- 
plore his blessing, they determined to 
avail themselves of the professed 
oracle at hand, and learn from the 
Teraphitn what they ought to have 
learned from the Urim. So much 
more prone is man's depraved nature 
to idolatrous superstition than to real 

piety. M Whether our way which we 

go, &c. Whether our enterprise 
which we have undertaken shall suc- 
ceed. On this import of the word 
' way,' as including not the journey 
only, but everything pertaining it, 
see on eh. 4. 9. 

6. Go in peace. That is, go and 
prosper. This being strictly no 
more than the expression of a friend- 
ly wish, did not commit his foresight 

as a prophet. IT Your way is before 

the Lord. An ambiguous expres- 
sion, capable of being interpreted, ac- 
cording to the event, either in a good 
or bad sense, and thus bearing the 
equivocal character of the responses 
of all the ancient heathen oracles. 
Its prevailing sense in the Scriptures 
is undoubtedly that of approbation 
on the part of God, and so in the 
present case he intended it should be 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



225 



7 1T Then the five men depart- 
ed, and came to k Laish, and saw 
the people that were therein, 
'how they dwelt careless, after 
the manner of the Zidonians, 

k Josh. 19. 47, called Lesheiu. l ver. 27-8. 



understood. Yet it has not exclusive- 
ly tins import. When rigidly weigh- 
ed it amounts only to the general 
truth elsewhere affirmed, that ' The 
ways of man are before the eyes of the 
Lord, and he pondereth all his go- 
ings.' If, therefore, the event should 
be propitious, he would of course gain 
the credit of a true prophet, whereas 
it' it were adverse, he would at once 
take shelter under the ambiguity of 
the expression. While we recognise 
the subtlety of Satan in this reply, 
we may still gather from the incident 
die importance of bespeaking the di- 
vine direction and blessing at the 
outset of all our ways. We may go 
comfortably and cheerfully forward 
in them, if they are only such as he 
approves. His smile is success, his 
frown disaster. 

7. Came to LaisJi. Made sanguine 
and confident by the Levite's pre- 
diction, they set forward on their 
journey and came to Laish, or Le- 
shem, as it is called by Joshua, 19. 47, 
and afterwards Dan. v. 29. The in- 
habitants of this place are supposed 
to have been a colony of the Zido- 
nians. or Sidonians, at a very con- 
siderable distance irom the parent 

country. 1 Dwelt careless, after the 

manner of the Zidonians. The ha- 
bitual security of the Zidonians pro- 
bably arose mainly from their posi- 
tion and pursuits. They lived in a 
flourishing sea-port town and were 
chiefly addicted to commerce, and 
not being included in the seven de- 



quiet and secure ; and there was 
no magistrate in the land, that 
might put them to shame in any 
thing ; and they were far from 
the Zidonians, and had no busi- 
ness with any man. 



voted nations of Canaan, they pro- 
bably gave themselves but little con- 
cern about the wars and conquests 
that were going on around them. In 
this respect the people of Laish re- 
sembled them. Conscious of no ill 
design themselves, and free from the 
apprehension of being molested by 
others, they dwelt at ease in their rich 
and fertile valley, v. 28, their gates 
left open, and their walls neglected. 
But the grasping cupidity of man 
leaves nothing secure on earth, and 
the peaceful abodes of rural life are 
often visited by calamities that popu- 
lous cities and the crowded marts of 
commerce would have more reason 

to dread. tf No magistrate in the 

land, &c. Heb. ^53 EJTP V** e» 
yoresh etzer, no heir, or possessor of 
restraint. It is not absolutely certain 
that what is here said of the people 
of Laish is to be understood by way 
of reproach, as the original, ' heir of 
restraint,' may simply mean that 
there was no hereditary government 
exercised among them, but that they 
lived under a free republic, and yet 
so peaceably and harmoniously that 
there was no one disposed to ' shame,' 
i. e. to injure, to vex, to put indignity 
upon his neighbor or fellow citizen. 
And all this may be stated as mere 
matter of fact respecting their politi- 
cal condition, and perhaps with the 
design of intimating the cruelty oi 
the Danites in barbarously invading 
and putting to the sword such an in- 
offensive community. At the same 



226 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406 



8 And they came unto their 
brethren to m Zorah and Eshta- 
ol : and their brethren said unto 
them, What say ye ? 

9 And they said, " Arise, that 
we may go up against them : 
for we have seen the land, and 
behold, it is very good : and are 
ye ° still? be not slothful to go, 
and to enter to possess the land. 

10 When ye go, ye shall come 
unto a people p secure, and to a 

m ver. 2. n Num. 13. 30. Josh. 2. 23, 24. 
ol Kings 22. 3. P ver. 7,27. 



time, the evidence in favor of the 
common interpretation, which makes 
the words to convey a reflection upon 
the lawless and dissolute state of 
ihings among them, is perhaps still 
stronger, and we incline to abide by 

it. ITWere far from the Zidonians. 

Consequently far from succor in case 
of a sudden attack. %Had no bu- 
siness with any man. No treaties of 
alliance, no commercial intercourse, 
no established connection of any kind. 
Depending upon their own resources, 
and feeling little need of foreign lux- 
uries, they lived in an insulated state 
in respect tj the rest of the world. 
The words, of themselves, convey no 
impeachment of their character on 
the score of industry or activity, and 
yet taken in connexion with the 
whole passage, they may perhaps 
warrant the inference drawn from 
them by most commentators, that the 
Laishites were an indolent and idle 
people. Still a positive affirmation 
cannot be built upon the premises. 

9. Are ye still ? Heb. to^Ttfa math- 
shim, silent, i. e. inactive. On the 
peculiar use of Heb. terms for ' si- 
lence,' see on Josh. 10. 12. The spi- 
rit of this report may be applied to a 



large land : for God hath given 
it into your hands ; q a place 
where there is no want of any 
thing that is in the earth. 

11 TT And there went from 
thence of the family of the Dan- 
ites, out of Zorah and out of 
Eshtaol, six hundred men ap- 
pointed with weapons of war. 

12 And they went up, and 
pitched in r Kirjath-jearim, in 
Judah: wherefore they called 
that place s Mahaneh-dan unto 

q Deut. 8. 9. r Josh. 15: 60. s ch. 13. 25. 



higher theme. Heaven is a good 
land, made sure by promise to ali'be- 
lievers. and if we have a heart to 
travel thither, boldly facing the dan- 
gers in the way, we shall find every 
want supplied for ever. Yet so in- 
sidious and powerful an enemy is 
sloth to the soul in its journey hea- 
venward, that we have need to exhort 
one another daily to arise and be do- 
ing. No one knows how much com- 
fort he loses here, or how much glory 
hereafter, by sinful negligence. 

10. Where there is no want of any 
thing that is in the earth. ' Probably 
the more correct rendering is, ' in 
the land,' i. e. the land of Canaan. 
No part of the land of promise held 
out greater advantages ; none was on 
any account more eligible. This is 
the usual sense of the original. 

11. Of the family of the Danites. 
Meaning of the tribe of the Danites ; 
the aggregate of the families ; collect. 

sing, for plur. as often before. 

IT Appointed with weapons of war. 
Heb. 11 3 H 'hag fir girded. 

12. Pitched in Kir jath-jearim. Not 
in the city itself, but in its immediate 
vicinity, as is clear from the final 
clause. See on Josh. 10. 10. 






B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



227 



this day : behold, it is behind 
Kirjath-jearim. 

13 And they passed thence 
unto mount Ephraim, and came 
unto 'the house of Micah. 

14 TT " Then answered the five 
men that went to spy out the 
country of Laish, and said unto 
their brethren, Do ye know 
that x there is in these houses 
an ephod, and teraphim, and a 
graven image, and a molten 
image ? now therefore consider 
what ye have to do. 

15 And they turned thither- 
ward, and came to the house of 
the young man the Levite, even 

t ver. 2. u l Sam. 14. 28. xch. 17. 5. 

IT Mahaneh-dan. That is, ' the camp 
of Dan,' so called from the circum- 
stance of this expedition encamping 
there. By comparing ch. 13. 25, it 
appears quite obvious that this trans- 
action occurred previous to the days 
of Samson. IT Behind Kirjath-jea- 
rim. Westward of Kirjath-jearim ; 
for as the face is always supposed to 
be turned to the east when the sacred 
writers speak of the points of the 
compass, the west of course falls be- 
hind one. Thus Deut. 11. 24, the 
Mediterranean, or western sea, is 
called the hindermost sea (QTTl 
'flliTltilkayom ha Charon^) as the east, 
on the other hand, is designated by a 
term (£~p kedem) which has the 
xen^e of before or anterior. 

14. Then ansivered. Then spake. 
An idiom both of the Hebrew and 
ihe Greek, by which this word is 
used for addressed, accosted. See 1 
Kings 1. 28; Ezra 10. 2; Is. 14. 10. 

IT Consider what ye have to do. 

Consider what ye shall, do ; it is a 
point worth deliberating whether this 



unto the house of Micah, and 
saluted him. 

16 And the y six hundred men 
appointed with their weapons 
of war, which were of the child- 
ren of Dan, stood by the enter- 
ing of the gate, 

17 And z the five men that 
went to spy out the land went 
up, and came in thither, and 
took a the graven image, and the 
ephod, and the teraphim, and 
the molten image : and the 
priest stood in the entering of 
the gate w r ith the six hundred 
men that were appointed with 
weapons of war. 

y ver. 11. * ver. 2. 14. a ch. 17. 4, 5. 



priest and his oracle, of the truth of 
whose responses we have had expe- 
rience, will not be a valuable acqui- 
sition to us in our new settlement. 
Their subsequent actions are the best 
commentary on these words. 

15. And saluted him. Heb. IjbfiUDl 
tP^TDp T>J yishalu lo lishalom, asked 
him of peace ; i. e. inquired respect- 
ing his welfare, which is usually ex- 
pressed by the term peace. See Gen. 
43. 27 ; Ex. 18. 7. 

17. The five men — came in thither. 
Entered into what might be called 
the sanctuary, the chapel, of Micah's 
house. From its being said that they 
1 went up ' (lbs*' 1 yaalu,) for this pur- 
pose, Rosenmuller conjectures that 
it was an upper apartment, and ad- 
duces Dan. 6. 10, in confirmation. 

IT The priest stood in the entering of 
the gate. Where the other party no 
doubt detained and held him in talk, 
while their comrades effected the 
abduction of the gods with all their 
appurtenances. ' See what little care 
this sorry priest took of his gods; 



228 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



18 And these went into Mi- 
cah's house, and fetched the 
carved image, the ephod, and 
the teraphim, and the molten 
image. Then said the priest 
unto them, What do ye ? 

19 And they said unto him, 
Hold thy peace, b lay thine hand 
upon thy mouth, and go with 
us, c and be to us a father and a 
priest : is it better for thee to be 
a priest unto the house of one 
man, or that thou be a priest 
unto a tribe and a family in 
Israel ? 

b Job 21. 5, and 29. 9, and 40. 4. Prov. 30. 
32. Mic. 7. 16. c ch. 17. 10. 

while he was sauntering at the gate. 
his treasure (such as it was) was 
gone. See how impotent these 
wretched gods were, that could not 
keep themselves from being stolen.' 
Henry. The whole scene, including 
the conduct of all parties, is a singu- 
lar mixture of the impious and the 
ludicrous. 

18. These vjent into Micah'' s house. 
The five men mentioned above went 
in, while the six hundred armed 
men stood at the gate. 

19' Lay thy hand upan Iky mouth. 
A well known token of silence 
among all nations. Comp. Job 21. 5 ; 
Prov. 30. 32. 

19. That thou be a priest unto a 
tribe and a family in Israel. That is, 
1 to a tribe, even a collection of fami- 
lies.' From the narrated facts of the 
case it is evident that a whole tribe 
could not have been intended. 

20. The priest's heart was glad. 
Swayed wholly by self-interest and 
unmindful of the claims of gratitude 
and of truth, he forsakes bis former 
employer merely from the motives 



20 And the priest's heart was 
glad, and he took the ephod, and 
the teraphim, and the graven 
image, and went in the midst of 
the people. 

21 So they turned and depart- 
ed, and put the little ones, and 
the cattle, and the carriage be- 
fore them. 

22 IT And when they were a 
good way from the house of 
Micah, the men that were in the 
houses nearer to Micah's house 
were gathered together, and 
overtook the children of Dan. 

23 And they cried unto the 
children of Dan. And they 



of covetousness and ambition. Bat 
who can be surprised to find him 
false and treacherous to men who 
has been convicted of the grossest 

perfidy towards God 1 TT Went in 

the midst of the people. Or, Heb. 
' went into the midst of the people.' 
Took his place in the centre of the 
company, both to secure him from 
the pursuit of Micah, and in imita- 
tion of the order of Israel's march 
through the wilderness, in which 
the ark and the priests moved in the 
middle of the host. 

21. The carriage before them. Heb. 
("iTDi kebudah, the weight, i. e&he 
luggage or baggage, the various 
moveables which a body of emi- 
grants would naturally carry with 
them. No allusion whatever is had 
to wheel-carriages, as these vehicles. 
even to this day, are entirely un 
known as a means of travelling in 
that country. The arrangement 
here mentioned was a precautionary 
measure designed to guard against 
the consequences of an attack on the 
part of Micah, which, should he see 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



229 



turned their faces, and said unto 
Micah, What aileth thee, that 
thou comest with such a com- 
pany ? 

24 And he said, Ye have taken 
away my gods which I made, 
and the priest, and ye are gone 
away : and what have I more ? 
and what is this that ye say unto 
me, What aileth thee ? 

25 And the children of Dan 

fit to make one, would naturally be 
upon the rear. 

23. What aileth thee, that thou 
earnest with such a company ? Heb. 
fipJTD "O ^ tlfomah lekd kinizokta, 
what to thee, that thou art gathered 
together? An individual of course 
could not be said to be ' gathered to- 
gether;' but the Heb. idiomby which 
the leader or head of a multitude is 
put for the multitude itself, is of very 
frequent occurrence. See Note on 
Gen. 14. 15. 

24. Ye have taken away my gods, 
which I made, &c. That is, the whole 
apparatus of my images, teraphim, 
&c, made as representatives of di- 
vine things, and symbols of the di- 
vine presence. With all his gross 
superstition, it is not conceivable that 
a native Israelite should have be- 
come at this time so besotted by his 
idolatrous propensities as to suppose 
that the fabrication of his own hands 
was really the great Jehovah that 

made heaven and earth. IT What 

have I more? What have you left 
me worth having compared with the 
image and the priest of which you 
have so perfidiously deprived me 1 
Such ardent, but infatuated and 
wicked zeal could Micah evince in 
respect to the objects of his idolatry. 
How many that bear the name of 

20 



said unto him, Let not thy voice 
be heard among us, lest angry 
fellows run upon thee, and thou 
lose thy life, with the lives of 
thy household. 

26 And the children of Dan 
went their way : and when Mi- 
cah saw that they were too 
strong for him, he turned and 
went back unto his house. 



Christians are shamed by such an 
instance of deep but guilty devotion 1 
How lightly do they bear the loss or 
the absence of the most precious spi- 
ritual privileges compared with that 
of their worldly possessions 1 It is 
when they are bereft of these, and not 
of the light of God's countenance and 
the hidden joys of the Spirit, that 
they exclaim, What have I more 1 

25. Lest angry fellows. Heb. 
ffiBD ^Hfa d n "iL"i< anashim mare ne- 
phesh, men bitter of spirit. The gen- 
uine language of lawless banditti, 
who answer the plea of right, with 
no other argument than the exhibi- 
tion of superior might. By this we 
are reminded, (1) That they who 
dare to commit theft will be easily 
induced, if needful to secure their 
ill-gotten spoil, to commit murder 
also. (2) That where power is with, 
unprincipled oppressors, to complain 
of injustice is often only to provoke 
farther injury. 

26. He turned and went back unto 
his house. It is to be hoped, a wiser 
and better man ; having now had ex- 
perimental proof of the vanity of the 
idols with which he is compelled to 
part. But whatever the event may 
have taught him, it is pregnant with 
instruction to us. In the straits to 
which Micah was driven, we perceive 



230 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



27 And they took the things 
which Micah had made, and the 
priest which he had, and d came 
unto Laish, unto a people that 
were at quiet and secure : e and 
they smote them with the edge 
of the- sword, and burnt the city 
with fire. 

28 And there was no deliverer, 

d ver. 7, 10. Deut. 33. 22. e Josh. 19. 47. 



a striking illustration of the issue of 
the fatal delusions of ungodly men. 
Their false confidences will be abol- 
ished, their refuges of lies all swept 
away. The religion in which they 
now so sanguinely trust will be prov- 
ed a baseless fabric. No foundation 
will then stand but that which God 
himself has laid, nor will any super- 
structure endure but that which is 
able to abide a fiery ordeal. The 
law which they were disposed to re- 
duce to their own standard will then 
be found to be immutable, and the 
religion of the Bible, which in its 
true sense they have rejected, the only 
means of a' sinner's acceptance with 
God. Their forced interpretations 
of the sacred text, and their self- 
complacent schemes of salvation will 
avail them nothing. As a necessary 
consequence, their destitution and 
misery will then be complete. ' Ye 
have taken away my gods, and what 
have I left V may then be considered 
as the bitter lamentation of every de- 
luded soul. In vain now is the ready 
plea, i I thought I was right.' Why 
did they rest in vain conjectures 1 
Why did they presume to substitute 
a system of their own in place of that 
which God had revealed % Why 
would they not submit to be saved in 
God's own way % Alas ! it is now 
too late to rectify their error. They 



because it was f far from Zidon, 
and they had no business with 
any man ; and it was in the val- 
ley that lieth g by Beth-rehob. 
And they built a city, and dwelt 
therein. 

29 And b they called the name 
of the city ' Dan, after the name 

f ver. 7. g Num. 13. 21. 2 Sam. 10. 6. 
h Josh. 19. 47. i Gen. 14. 14. ch. 20. 1. 1 
Kings 1-.'. 29, 30, and 15. 20. 



have gone down to darkness, ' lean- 
ing on a lie.' They have walked in 
the light of the sparks which they 
themselves have kindled, and as a 
recompense in the same, they lie 
down in sorrow. Let us away then 
with all systems of man's device in 
the great matter of salvation. Let 
us at once and cordially embrace the 
whole true gospel of the grace of 
God, and we have a portion of which 
we can never be robbed. Who can 
spoil us of our God 1 or what can 
we want if we have him for our 
friend 1 

27. Came unto Laish, unto a peo- 
ple, &c. Rather, came upon Laish, 
(^3> al, not ^& el.) upon a people; i. e. 
in a hostile manner, making a fierce 

attack upon them. IT Burnt the 

city with fire. That is, probably, a 
part of it, not the whole; as the 
phrase clearly implies elsewhere. 
See on Josh. 8. 8. This measure 
was doubtless adopted to strike a 
greater terror into the inhabitants, 
and to make their conquest more se- 
cure. ^ 

28. And they built a city. Heb. 
"P^il n& "Hn* 1 *! vayibnu eth hair, and 
they built the city ; i. e. rebuilt it ; or 
at least so much of it as was destroy- 
ed by the fire. 

29. Called the name of the city Dan. 
To be a witness for them that they 



B. C. 1406.1 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



231 



of Dan their father, who was 
born unto Israel : howbeit the 
name of the city v:as Laish at 
the first. 



were Danites by birth, though re- 
moved to so great a distance from 
their brethren. As this fact might 
possibly in after times he called in 
question, they would make the very 
name of their place a ground on 
which to establish their claim to re- 
lationship. ' We should be con- 
cerned not to lose the privilege of 
our relation to God's Israel, and 
therefore should lake all occasions to 
own it, and preserve the remem- 
brance of it to ours after us.' Henry- 
This city became afterwards very 
remarkable as one of ihe extremities 
of the promised land. The extent 
of the Israelitish territory from its 
northern to its southern border was 
generally expressed by the phrase, 
' From Dan to Beersheba.' 

30. The children of Dan set up the 
graven image. Thus was idolatry 
first publicly established in Israel. It 
began in the tribe and city of Dan, 
from which it gradually spread like 
an evil contagion, and though check- 
ed from time to time by pious rulers, 
yet it eventually infected nearl) r the 
whole nation. As a mark of the di- 
vine indignation towards the prime 
agents of this wickedness, Lightfoot 
suggests that in the mystical sealing 
of the tribes mentioned Rev. 7, that 
of Dan is entirely omitted. It may 
also be supposed that having had the 
precedent now set, Jeroboam was en- 
couraged afterwards to establish the 
idolatrous worship of one of his 

golden calves at this very place 

^Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son 
of Manasseh. It is conjectured by 



30 IT And the children of Dan 
set up the graven image : and 
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, 
the son of Manasseh, he and his 



many expositors that instead of Ma- 
nasseh, (nil^fa) the true reading is 
Moses, (mslD) which differs, it will 
be perceived, only by a single letter ; 
and this letter (D), it is supposed the 
Jews have interpolated in order to 
save the credit of their great law- 
giver and prophet. The singular 
name of Gershom, the name of one 
of Moses' sons, and the date of the 
transaction, concur, it is said, in es- 
tablishing this view. Accordingly the 
Vulgate and some copies of the Sep- 
tuagint actually exhibit the name of 
' Moses,' instead of ' Manasseh.' The 
interpolation, however, has been very 
timidly executed. The letter 3 was 
originally placed above the line of 
the other letters (as it now appears 
in the printed Hebrew Bibles,) as if 
rather to suggest, than to make an 
alteration ; but in process of time the 
letter sunk down into the body of the 
word. The Hebrew writers them- 
selves admit this ; and say that the 
intention was to veil this disgrace in 
the house of Moses, by suggesting a 
figurative descent of Jonathan from 
Manasseh, the idolatrous king of Ju- 
dah who lived about eight hundred, 
years afterwards ! Bp. Patrick and 
others are disposed to rank this 
among the idle conceits of the Jew- 
ish critics, but for ourselves, without 
positively adopting the opinion, we 
think it by no means improbable. 
The most excellent characters are 
often but badly represented by their 
descendants. Children are not al- 
ways the crown of old men, any more 
than fathers are always the glory of 



232 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



sons were priests to the tribe of 
Dan k until the day of the cap- 
tivity of the land. 

31 And they set them up Mi- 
cah's graven image which he 
made, 'all the time that the 
house of God was in Shiloh. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

AND it came to pass in those 
days, a when there was no 
king in Israel, that there was a 
certain Levite sojourning on the 
side of mount Ephraim, who 

k ch. 13. 1. 1 Sam. 4. 2, 3. 10, 11. Ps. 78. 
60, 61. l Josh. 18. 1. ch. 19. 18, and 21. 12. 
a ch. 17. 6, and 18. l,and 21. 25. 



their children. The point, however, 
is one of little importance. IT Un- 
til the day of the captivity of the land. 
Probably the captivity of the ten tribes 
by Shalmaneser king of Assyria. If 
so, this passage is to be considered as 
an addition made by a later hand, 
of which there are numerous ac- 
knowledged instances in the books of 
the Old Testament. 

31. All the lime that the house of 
God vms in Shiloh. Not that its con- 
tinuance there was limited to the pe- 
riod now specified, as this would be 
inconsistent with what is affirmed in 
the preceding verse ; but it seems to 
be stated as a remarkable and dis- 
creditable fact, that even during all 
the time that the true tabernacle and 
altar were standing at Shiloh, and 
notwithstanding the reforming ef- 
forts of all the Judges, yet here was a 
rival establishment of an idolatrous 
character subsisting in the face of 
all the injunctions made against it ! 
Probably the remote situation of Dan, 
on the extreme borders of the coun- 
try, put it in a measure out of the 



took to him a concubine out of 
b Beth-lehem-judah. 

2 And his concubine played 
the whore against him, and went 
away from him unto her father's 
house to Beth-lehem-judah, and 
was there four whole months. 

3 And her husband arose, and 
went after her, to speak friendly 
unto her, and to bring her again, 
having his servant with him, 
and a couple of asses : and she 
brought him into her father's 
house : and when the father of 
the damsel saw him, he rejoiced 
to meet him. 

bch.17. 7. 



reach of those influences which 
would otherwise have gone to extir- 
pate the abominations which it cher- 
ished. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

1. And it came to pass, &c. The 
tragical tale that follows seems to be 
inserted here in order to afford a 
melancholy illustration of the disor- 
ders which sprung from the lack of 
due restraint. In the absence of an 
efficient magistracy, confusion and 

every evil work prevailed. "if Took 

to him a concubine. Heb. {"TO^ 
IDS^S ishah pilegesh, a woman, a 
concubine, or a wife, a concubine ; or, 
as Geddes renders it, a concubine- 
wife; i. e. a lawful but a secondary 
wife ; as in v. 3, he is expressly call- 
ed her ' husband,' and v. 4 her father 
his father-in-law. Such connexions 
were not disreputable in those times, 
being tolerated in the law and coun- 
tenanced by the practice of the best 
of men. It is a great mistake tocon- 
ceive of a concubine as a harlot. 

3. To speak friendly unto her. Heb. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



233 



4 And his father-in-law, the 
damsel's father, retained him ; 
and he abode with him three 
days : so they did eat and drink, 
and lodged there. 

5 IT And it came to pass on the 
fourth day, when they arose early 
in the morning, that he rose up 
to depart : and the damsel's fa- 
ther said unto his son-in-law, 
c Comfort thy heart with a mor^ 
sel of bread, and afterward go 
your way. 

6 And they sat down, and did 
eat and drink both of them to- 
gether : for the damsel's father 

c Gen. 18. 5. 



rn^ p9 "mi) ledabber at libbah, to 
speak to her heart ; that is, to concili- 
ate her affection, to rekindle her ten- 
derness, and to entreat her to return 
to the home she had left cheerless. 
Comp. Gen 34. 3 ; 50. 21 ; Ruth 2. 
13. The phrase is commonly applied 
to speaking comfortably to one that is 
in distress or sorrow, and may per- 
haps here imply that the woman was 
penitent and grieved for her offences. 

IT Rejoiced to meet him. Hoping 

that now a complete reconciliation 
would be effected between his daugh- 
ter and her husband. 

4. And lodged there. That is, the 
Levite and his servant. It would 
scarcely be said of the father-in-law 
that he lodged in his own house. 

5. Comfort thine heo.rt with a mor- 
sel of bread. Heb. "pi TPD seod lib- 
beka, strengthen thine heart ; i. e. re- 
fresh thy spirits. 

8. They tarried until afternoon. 
Heb. frn tntM 12 ad ncloth hayom, 
till the day declined. The original 
for 'tarried' ('-^n^nn hithmahe- 
mehu,) implies a reluctant delay, a 
20* 



had said unto the man, Be con- 
tent, I pray thee, and tarry all 
night, and let thine heart be 
merry. 

7 And when the man rose up 
to depart, his father-in-law 
urged him : therefore he lodged 
there again. 

8 And he arose early in the 
morning on the fifth day to de- 
part : and the damsel's father 
said, Comfort thy heart, I pray 
thee. And they tarried until 
afternoon, and they did eat both 
of them. 

9 And when the man rose up 
to depart, he, and his concubine, 



forced compliancMvith urgent solici- 
tations, and the issue of the affair 
teaches us very impressively the 
danger, as well as the weakness of 
suffering ourselves to be overcome by 
pressing importunity against the con- 
victions of our better judgment. The 
hospitable entertainment and agree- 
able society of friends is indeed a 
strong inducement to protract a visit, 
but no man should forget that he has 
calls at home of paramount claim, 
and that there is a limit beyond 
which complaisance is at war with 
duty, and where we should turn a 
deaf ear to the most urgent requests. 
The warm-hearted and friendly en- 
tertainer, too, should remember that 
his intended kindness when too far 
urged may prove a real injury to its 
objects, and should therefore mode- 
rate its promptings by reason and re- 
ligion. It is altogether probable that 
the fearful calamity Avhich overtook 
this unfortunate couple would have 
been avoided had they been less 
urged, or, when urged, had they acted 
with more decision. 



234 



JUDGES 



[B. C. 1406. 



and his servant, his father-in- 
law, the damsel's father, said 
unto him, Behold, now the day 
draweth toward evening, I pray 
you tarry all night : behold, the 
day groweth to an end, lodge 
here, that thine heart may be 
merry ; and to-morrow get you 
early on your way, that thou 
mayest go home. 

10 But the man would not 
tarry that night, but he rose up 
and departed, and came over 
against d Jehus, which is Jeru- 
salem : and there were with him 
two asses saddled, his concubine 
also was with him. 

1 1 And when they were by Je- 
bus, the day was far spent ; and 
the servant said unto his mas- 
ter, Come, I pray thee, and let 

d Josh. 18. 28. 

9. The day draweth towards even- 
ing. Heb. fcTTI n&^l raphah hayom, 
the day is weak, is become relaxed, re- 
mitteth itself. The phrase point? to 
a time of day the opposite of what is 
termed, Gen. 29. 7, ' high day,' i. e. 
the hour when the heat of the day 
has attained its utmost intensity, 
when it has reached the meridian. 

■ IT The day groweth to an end. 

Heb. tDTVT ITDn 'hanoth hayom, it is 
the pitching time of day ; i. e. it is 
near the time when travellers ordi- 
narily pitch their tents and take up 

their lodgings for the night. 

IT Mayest go home. Heb. hSib n&O 
leoha lekah, to thy tent. 

12 Into the city of a stranger. 
That is, of a strange and foreign 
people ; for though the city of Jerusa- 
lem had been before taken by Caleb, 
ch. 1. 8, yet the strong-hold of Zion 
was still in the hands of the Jebu- 



us turn in into this city e of the 
Jebusites, and lodge in it. 

12 And his master said unto 
him, We will not turn aside 
hither into the city of a stranger, 
that is not of the children of Is- 
rael ; we will pass over f to 
Gibeah. 

13 And he said unto his ser- 
vant, Come, and let us draw 
near to one of these places to 
lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in 
? Ramah. 

14 And they passed on and 
went their way ; and the sun 
went down upon them when 
they were by Gibeah, which be- 
long eth to Benjamin. 

15 And they turned aside thi- 
ther, to go in and to lodge in 

e Josh. 15. 8. 63. ch. 1. 21. 2 Sam. 5. 6. 
fJosh. 18.28. ' gJosh. 18.25. 

sites, who were not fully dispossess- 
ed till the days of David. The event, 
however, showed that he could 
.scarcely have fared worse among the 
most barbarous hordes of Canaanites 
than he did among his own brethren. 
In all probability he would have done 
better to have followed his servant's 
advice. 

13. In Gibeah or in Ramah. These 
places were both north, or rather 
north-west from Jerusalem, and dis- 
tant, the former about fourmiles,'the 
latter about six. 

15. No man that took them into his 
house to lodging. Heb. C'& *p8 
£)D&to en ish measseph, no man gath- 
ering. On the expressive import of 
this phrase see on Josh. 6. 9. It seems 
that up lo this time no caravansaries 
or inns, in which travellers now ob- 
tain lodgings in the East, existed. 
At least we have met with no certain 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



235 



Gibeah : and when he went in, 
he sat him down in a street of 
the city : for there was no man 
that ''took them into his house 
to lodging. 

16 IT And behold, there came 
an old man from 'his work out 
of the field at even, which was 
also of mount Ephraim ; and he 
sojourned in Gibeah ; but the 
men of the place were Benja- 
mites. 

17 And when he had lifted up 
his eyes, he saw a wayfaring 
man in the street of the city : 

l) Matt. 25. 43. Heb. 13. 2. i Ps. 104. 23. 

traces of the existence of such ac- 
commodations. Strangers, therefore, 
relied entirely on private hospitality 
for entertainment in the places to 
which they came, as is still the case 
in many parts of the East. Under 
these circumstances such an inhospi- 
table reception as that which the 
Levite now experienced is of very 
rare occurrence, and can only be ex- 
plained on the ground of the pre-emi- 
nently vile and abandoned character 
of the citizens of Gibeah. The gen- 
eral courleousness of the Orientals in 
this respect is well set forth in the 
language of Job, 31. 32 ; ' The stran- 
ger did not lodge in the street ; but I 
opened my doors to the traveller.' 

16. There came an old man from his 
work out of the field at even. Had all 
the inhabitants of Gibeah been of the 
stamp of this good old Israelite, in 
whom we see such a pleasing speci- 
men of patriarchal times, as he re- 
turns at evening from his daily toil, 
so gross and horrid a deed of wick- 
edness would not have disgraced 
their city. But it may well be doubt- 
ed whether he were not the only 



and the old man said, Whither 
goest thou ? and whence comest 
thou ? 

18 And he said unto him, We 
are passing from Beth-lehem- 
judah toward the side of mount 
Ephraim ; from thence am I : 
and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, 
but I am now going to k the 
house of the Lord ; and there 
is no man that receiveth me to 
house. 

19 Yet there is both straw and 
provender for our asses ; and 

k Josh. 18. 1. ch. 18. 31, and 20. 18. 1 
Sam. 1. 3, 7. 

laborer whom this evening brought 
home from the field, and as the vir- 
tues usually go together, ' he, 5 as 
Henry remarks, ' who was honestly 
diligent in his business all day, was 
disposed to be generously hospitable 

to these poor strangers at night.' 

IT Which was also of mount Ephraim. 
' Gibeah was a second Sodom ; even 
there also is another Lot ; which is 
therefore so much more hospitable to 
strangers, because himself was a 
stranger. The host, as well as the 
Levite, is of mount Ephraim ; each 
man knows best to commiserate that 
evil in others which himself hath 
passed through. All that profess the 
name of Christ are countrymen and 
yet strangers here below. How 
cheerfully should we entertain each 
other, when we meet in the Gibeah 
of this inhospitable world !' Bp. Hall. 

18. No man that receiveth me to 
house. Heb. ^filJ* tptffa measseph 
othi, that gathereth me ; the same 
phrase as that above, v. 15. 

19. Both straw and provender, &c. 
Intimating that it was not necessary 
for him to tax the hospitality of any 



236 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



there is bread and wine also for 
me, and for thy handmaid, and 
for the young man which is with 
thy servants: there is no want 
of any thing. 



one except for lodging. He had 
abundance of provision of his own, 
both for himself and his asses. In 
entering upon a journey, the Orien- 
tals lay in a supply of food for the 
beasts with which they travel as well 
as for themselves. This food is of 
different kinds. They make little 
or no hay in these countries, and are 
therefore very careful of their straw, 
which they cut into small bits, with 
an instrument which at the same 
time threshes out the corn (grain) ; 
this chopped straw, with barley, 
beans, and balls made of bran and 
barley meal, or of the pounded ker- 
nels of dates, is what they feed them 
with. ' People (in the East) still 
carry provisions with them in a 
journey, even through a peopled 
country. No one calculates on ob- 
taining, unless in very great towns, 
more than house-room, with the 
chance of being able to buy bread 
and fruit. It is not certain that even 
bread can be procured, and not to 
leave the matter entirely to chance, 
the traveller usually takes from one 
great town to another, so much bread 
as will serve him intermediately. If 
he desires better fare than he is like- 
ly thus to obtain, he takes with him 
cooking utensils, rice, vegetables, 
preserved meat, butter, &c, and at 
the resting place for the day has a 
warm meal prepared by a servant or 
himself, from his own stores and 
with his own utensils. We have 
known a single traveller accompa- 



20 And the old man said, 
1 Peace be with thee ; howsoev- 
er, let all thy wants He upon 
me ; m only lodge not in the 
street. 

1 Gen. 43. 23. ch. 6. 23. m Gen. 19. 2. 



nied by a mule, exclusively laden 
with his bedding, provisions, and 
cooking vessels. It is within the 
writer's own experience, that in a 
journey of more than a fortnight 
through a comparatively well-peo- 
pled part of Western Asia, it was 
not possible more than twice (in two 
great towns) to obtain other food than 
bread and fruit, and often this not 
without much difficulty, and some- 
times not at all.' Pict. Bible. 

20, Let all thy wants lie upon me. 
This is not inconsistent with the 
Levite's assertion in the preceding 
verse, that there was ' no want of any 
thing.' The original signifies de- 
fect, lack, and the Levite said, tha,. 
although he was supplied with everv 
thing else, yet he did lack a lodging 
place. His kind entertainer here 
tells him to dismiss all care, for he 
would take it upon him to see that 
his deficiency in this and every other 
respect, should be supplied, q. d. 
Keep your bread and wine, your 
straw and provender for your own 
and your asses' use ; you may need 
them before you finish your journey ; 
I will provide for all your wants 
this night; therefore do not think of 
lodging in the street.' This was gen- 
erosity worthy of an Israelite. 

MLodge not in the street. Unless they 
had bedding, which travellers often 
carry with them, this would not have 
been convenient ; and it would be 
thought disgraceful to the character 
of a town, to allow a stranger, accom- 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



237 



21 "So he brought him into 
his house, and gave provender 
unto the asses : ° and they wash- 
ed their feet, and did eat and 
drink. 

22 IT Now as they were mak- 
ing their hearts merry, behold, 
p the men of the city, certain 
"sons of Belial, beset the house 
round about, and beat at the 
door, and spake to the master 
of the house, the old man, say- 
ing:, r Brins; forth the man that 
came into thine house, that we 
may know him. 

23 And s the man, the master 

u Gen. 24. 32, and 43. 24. o Gen. 18. 4. 
John 13.5. p Gen. 19. 4. ch.20. 5. Hos. 
9. 9, and 10. 9. q Dent. 13. 13. r Gen. 19. 5. 
Rom. 1. 26, 27. s Gen. 19. 6, 7. 



panied by his wife, to do so even 
then. But in other respects, lodging 
in the streets of a town, is a less sin- 
gular circumstance in the East than 
it would seem to us in England. 
' When the Bedouin Arabs visit a 
town, they usually prefer sleeping 
at night in the street to sleeping in a 
house. So also, when a person walks 
through the streets of Malta in the 
nights of summer, he finds the foot- 
pavements obstructed by beds, occu- 
pied by married couples and single 
people. These belong to shop-keep- 
ers and others, who rent the ground- 
floors, and having no right to take 
their beds to the roof, bring them out 
into the sireet to enjoy the luxury of 
sleeping in the cool open air.' Pict. 
Bible. 

22. Making their hearts merry. 
Refreshing themselves with the pro- 
visions set before them. It does not 
necessarily convey the idea of ban- 
queting and revelry. IT Sons of Be- 



of the house, went out unto 
them, and said unto them, Nay, 
my brethren, nay, I pray you, 
do not so wickedly ; seeing that 
this man is come into mine 
house, l do not this folly. 

24 "Behold, here is my daugh- 
ter, a maiden, and his concu- 
bine ; them I will bring out 
now, and x humble ye them, and 
do with them what seemeth 
good unto you : but unto this 
man do not so vile a thing. 

25 But the men would not 
hearken to him : so the man 
took his concubine, and brought 
her forth unto them ; and they 
y knew her, and abused her all 



t 2 Sam. 13. 12. u Gen. 19. i 
2. Deut. 21. 14. y Gen. 4. 1. 



Gen. 34. 



Hal. Vile, abandoned, profligate, 
fellows; men lost to all sense of 
right, honor, and decency. See Note 

on Deut. 13. 13. HBeat at the door. 

Rendered ' beat,' in order to imply 
something more than simply knock- 
ing. The original has the import of 
an earnest, eager, violent, assault of 

the door. If Bring forth the man, 

&c. This demand, and indeed the 
whole of the incidents here mention- 
ed, have a striking resemblance to 
the affair of Lot and the Sodomites. 
Under the ambiguous term ' know,' 
these sons of Belial in each instance, 
convey a sense in the last degree 
abominable and brutal, and in each 
instance the father makes a proposal 
which the extremest case could not 
justify. 

25. The man took his concubine, and 
brought her forth. The conduct of 
the Levite in this transaction isutter- 
ly inexplicable. His going after her 
to her father's house would indicate 



238 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



the night until the morning : 
and when the day began to 
spring, they let her go. 

26 Then came the woman in 
the dawning of the day, and fell 
down at the door of the man's 
house where her lord was y till it 
was light. 

that he still cherished towards her a 
real affection, and he appears thus 
far along the journey to have treated 
her with every kindness. Yet now 
in the hour of danger, apparently to 
save his own life, he determines to 
sacrifice her. He suffered her to be 
brought out and exposed to these 
fiends in human shape, while he, it 
would seem, secure from harm, either 
sits down or lies down in calm in- 
difference to her fate. We infer this 
from its not being intimated that he 
made the least inquiry respecting her 
during the night, but 'rose up' — 
(could it be from his bed 1)— ! in the 
morning, and opened the doors of 
the house, and went out to go his 
way,' as if he did not once think what 
had become of his unhappy compa- 
nion,but designed to set forward alone! 
It would seem that it was only by 
stumbling upon her lifeless corpse at 
the door that he w r as reminded of 
there being such a person either liv- 
ing or dead. And even admitting 
that he thought her alive as she lay 
prostrate on the ground, how unfeel- 
ing, how inhuman his address ! ' Up, 
and let us be going.' Could he thus 
rudely accost a tender female, who, 
for his sake, had submitted through 
the live-long night to the most savage 
brutalities, if he possessed the com- 
mon feelings of a man 1 Suppose he 
thought her asleep ; yet we ask, 
would he have felt no emotions of 



21 And her lord rose up in the 
morning, and opened the doors 
of the house, and went out to 
go his way : and behold, the 
woman his concubine was fallen 
down at the door of the house, 
and her hands were upon the 
threshold. 



surprise, of grief, of pain, to find her 
sleeping in such a place and in such 
a posture '? Would he not anxiously 
and tenderly have awakened her, and 
inquired of her welfare/? The man's 
conduct throughout is a riddle, which 
we know not how to solve. One 
thing however is certain. When the 
attack was made on the house, the 
duly of the inmates was to have 
thrown themselves upon the protec- 
tion of Providence without yielding 
an iota to the demands of the remorse- 
less ruffians without. If they could 
not have withstood their violence, 
but must have been overpowered by 
superior numbers, they had better 
have died calling upon God for 
mercy than to have basely jeoparded 
the lives of feeble women to appease 
a ferocious rabble. That would have 
been the pious chivalry of true Israel- 
ites. The probability we think is, 
that Omnipotence would in some way 
have interposed for their rescue. 

27- Was fallen down at the door of 
the house. While we cannot but be 
moved with deep compassion in view 
of the hard lot and the miserable end 
of this unhappy woman, yet the 
righteous judgment of God is not to 
be overlooked in this her closing 
scene. She had sinned, and she now 
suffers. Though her father and her 
husband had both forgiven her, yet 
God remembered against her her 
fault when she was consigned to the 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



239 



2S And he said unto her, Up, | 



and let us be 



groino-. 



But z none 



answered. Then the man took 
her up upon an ass, and the man 
rose up, and gat him unto his 
place. 
29 IT And when he was come 
into his house, he took a knife, 
and laid hold on his concubine, 
and a divided her, together with 

z ch. 20. 5. a C h. 20. 6. See ] Sam. 11. 7. 



hands of these ruthless monsters. 
We may hope ; however, though it be 
almost hoping against hope, that her 
soul was touched with penitence at 
the eleventh hour, and that when she 
fell with outstretched arms upon the 
threshold, it was with a fervent sup- 
plication for the divine forgiveness. 
But the justice of God in this melan- 
choly event does by no means exten- 
uate the enormous wickedness of the 
men of Gibeah in executing it, than 
which nothing could be more barba- 
rous and inhuman. 

29. Divided her — into twelve pieces, 
and seat tier, &c. It is to be pre- 
sumed that with the pieces he sent to 
each tribe a circumstantial account 
of the barbarity of the men of Gibeah, 
which had deprived him of his wife. 
To our ideas there is something 
peculiarly shocking in the procedure, 
but it was doubtless in accordance 
with the notions of the times, and as 
there was no supreme magistrate to 
whom to appeal for redress, it was 
probably the most effectual method 
of rousing the nation to take up the 
Levite's cause as one that concerned 
them all. It was a measure, in fact, 
that seems to have been considered as 
putting the twelve tribes under an 
anathema, and solemnly binding 
them, on pain of being themselves 



her bones, into twelve pieces, 
and sent her into all the coasts 
of Israel. 

30 And it was so, that all that 
saw it, said, There was no such 
deed done nor seen from the day 
that the children of Israel came 
up out of the land of Egypt unto 
this day : consider of it, b take 
advice, and speak your minds. 

b ch. 20. 7. Prov. 13. 10. 

dealt with in the same manner, to 
avenge the horrible outrage. The 
whole nation accordingly instantly 
understood it as a universal anathe- 
ma, and entered into an indissoluble 
covenant, to see justice done to the 
injured Levite. This appears from 
the fact of the tribes actually taking 
up arms, as they did — from their 
swearing before the ark not to return 
to their tents or into their houses, till 
they had punished the offenders, ch. 
20. 8, 9 — from their putting to the 
sword all that remained in Gibeah, 
both man and beast, and burning all 
the cities and towns of Benjamin, ch. 
20. 48 — from their swearing with an 
imprecation not to give their daugh- 
ters in marriage to the sons of Ben- 
jamin, and cursing him who should 
do so, ch. 21. 1-18— and finally, from 
their engaging themselves by a ter- 
rible oath to kill every Israelite who 
should not take arms against the Ben- 
jamites, ch. 21. 5. These are all 
marks of a solemn act of anathema, 
and in no other light can the transac- 
tion be rightly viewed. See ' Scrip- 
ture Illustrations, 5 p. 146. 

30. There was no such deed done nor 
seen, &c. Its enormity was unparal- 
leled, and they were struck dumb 
and confounded, as it were, at the 
bare mention of it. It seems accord- 



240 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THEN a all the children of 
Israel went out, and the 
congregation was gathered to- 
gether as one man, from b Dan 
even to Beer-sheba, with the 

a Deut, 13. 12. Josh. 22. 12. ch. 21. 5. 
1 Sam. 11. 7. bch. 18. 29. 1 Sam. 3. 20. 2 
Sam. 3. 10, and 24. 2. 



ingly to have passed into a proverb, 
' They have deeply corrupted them- 
selves as in the days of Gibeah,' Hos. 

9. 9. IT Consider of it, take advice 

and speak your minds. Heb. 'put it 
to yourselves, take counsel upon it, 
and speak.' This was the prelude to 
the council held and the measures 
adopted, which are recited in the fol- 
lowing chapter. 

CHAPTER XX. 

1. From Dan even to Beersheba, 
with the land of Gilead. From the 
utmost borders of the land in every 
direction. By the land of Gilead is 
meant the trans- Jordan ic region, 
where were planted the tribes of 
Reuben and Gad and the half tribe 
of Manasseh. The convention seems 
not to have been summoned together 
by any superintending head, but by 
the consent and agreement, as it 
were, of one common heart, prompted 
by a holy zeal for the Lord of hosts 

and the honor of Israel. IT Unto 

the Lord in Mizpeh. The usual im- 
port of the phrase mtl* 1 i» el Yeho- 
vah, to the Lord, is the same with 
mrp "^S^ liphne Yehovah, before the 
Lord, i. e. before the tabernacle, or in 
the presence of the ark of the cove- 
nant, where God was wont to be in- 
quired of by his people. But as the 
ark was now at Shiloh and not at 
Mizpeh, it has been supposed by 
many commentators that the phrase 



land of Gilead, unto the Lord 
c in Mizpeh. 

2 And the chief of all the peo- 
ple, even of all the tribes of Is- 
rael, presented themselves in 
the assembly of the people of 



c Judg. 10. 17, and 11. 11. 1 Sam. 7. 5, 
and 10. 17. 



' unto or before the Lord,' may 
signify simply meeting in the name 
of the Lord, to consult him and 
offer up prayers and supplications. 
But although it is true that God is 
wherever his people are piously as- 
sembled in his name, yet so uniform 
throughout the Scriptures is the sense 
of the phrase given above, that we are 
averse to departing from it in this in- 
stance. By comparing v. 18, it would 
appear that they did not immediately 
resort to the tabernacle, but assembled 
first at Mizpeh, and thence went up 
to the house of the Lord either at 
Shiloh or Bethel. The expression, 
however, ' were gathered unto the 
Lord,' is warranted by the fact that it 
formed a part of their pla,n to consult 
the oracle in reference to their present 
expedition. The Mizpeh here men- 
tioned was a place in the borders of 
Judah and Benjamin, and therefore 
sometimes spoken of as belonging to 
the one and sometimes to the other, 
Josh. 15. 38 and 18. 26. It was but a 
short distance from Shiloh. 

2. The chief of all the people, even 
of all the tribes of Israel. The origi- 
nal exhibits a very remarkable phra- 
seology ;— ' The corners (H336 pin- 
notli) of the people, all the tribes of 
Israel,' where the ' corners' or chiefs 
of the people are identified with the 
tribes themselves, instead of being 
distinguished from them, as is erro- 
neously done in our translation by 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



241 



God, four hundred thousand 
footmen d that drew sword. 

3 (Now the children of Benja- 
min heard that the children of 
Israel were gone up to Mizpeh). 
Then said the children of Israel, 
Tell us, how was this wicked- 
ness ? 

4 And the Levite, the husband 

d ch. a 10. 

the gratuitous insertion of the word 
'of before 'all the tribes.' This is 
evident from its being immediately 
.said that they were assembled to the 
number of four hundred thousand, 
which certainly cannot be meant of 
the chiefs alone. See on ch. 10. 18. 
The leaders of a community, as the 
Scriptures represent government, are 
merely the executive organs of the 
mass of the people, having no inte- 
rest or will separate from theirs. 
The term ' corner' here employed is 
a metaphor taken from the corner- 
stones of a building, which are its 
main support. What these corner- 
stones are to a material fabric, the 
chiefs of the tribes were to the tribes 
themselves. Comp. 1 Sam. 14. 38 ; 

Is. 19. 13. IT In the assembly of the 

people of God. Heb. ^Flp ka'hal, Gr. 
sKK^aa, the usual word for church, as 
if from the object of their meeting 
they had convened ecclesiastically, 
or as a religious assembly. This is 
confirmed by the qualifying adjunct, 
e people of God.' Though the occa- 
sion was a very exciting one, and 
they were in danger of giving way to 
unhallowed passion, yet they did not 
forget that they came together as 
1 the people of God,' and were bound 
to demean themselves accordingly. 
Christians sometimes lose sight of 
this in their public assemblies, and 
21 



of the woman that was slain, 
answered and said, e I came into 
Gibeah that belongeth to Benja- 
min, I and my concubine, to 
lodge. 

5 f And the men of Gibeah 
rose against me, and beset the 
house round about upon me by 
night, and thought to have slain 

e ch. 19. 15. f ch. 19. 22. 



consequently act very much out of 
character. 

3. The children of Benjamin heard, 
&c. But they paid little or no atten- 
tion to it. Though they had probably 
received a formal summons like the 
rest of their brethren, yet they heeded 
it not; they took no steps towards 
healing the breach that had occurred, 
and preventing the consequences that 
ensued ; on the contrary, they were 
rather hardened and exasperated than 
otherwise by the proceedings of the 
other tribes. IT Then said the chil- 
dren of Israel, Tell us, &c. Heb. 
"I^OI dabberu, tell ye us, pi., a general 
challenge to any one, or to all who 
were acquainted with the facts, to 
come forward and testify to them. 

4. And the Levite. Heb. E^JSil 
"H^n haish hallevi, and the man, the 
Levite. He and his servant, and the 
old man his host, were undoubtedly 
all present, prepared to unite in the 
same statement. The Levite's nar- 
ration of facts, made c without preface 
or passion,' is remarkable for its 
brevity and directness. He speaks 
like a man who felt that he had no 
need to employ oratorical arts to 
work upon the feelings of his hear- 
ers and excite their just indignation. 
The bare recital of the facts them- 
selves would be sufficient. 

5. Thought to have slain me. In 



242 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 140& 



me : g and my concubine have 
they forced, that she is dead. 

6 And h I took my concubine, 
and cut her in pieces, and sent 
her throughout all the country 
of the inheritance of Israel : for 
they ' have committed lewdness 
and folly in Israel. 

7 Behold, ye are all children 
of Israel ; k give here your ad- 
vice and counsel. 

8 IT And all the people arose 
as one man, saying, We will not 
any of us go to his tent, neither 
will we any of us turn into his 
house : 

9 But now this shall he the 
thing which we will do to Gibe- 
ah : we will go up by lot against 
it; 

10 And w T e will take ten men 



g ch. 19. 25, 26. h ch. 19. 29. 
15. k ch. 19. 30. 



Josh. 7. 



case I should refuse to accede to 

their vile wishes. ^Forced. Heb. 

135 innu, humbled. 

8. We will not any of us go to his 
tent. We will have satisfaction for 
this wickedness before we return 
home. 

10. To fetch victual for the people. 
A tenth part of them were selected 
to provide food and forage for the 
army, which might thus be wholly 
occupied in punishing the inhabit- 
ants of Gibeah. 

13. The children of Benjamin 
would not hearken. Thus in effect 
bringing the whole tribe to be par- 
takers of the guilt of the men of 
Gibeah. By thus refusing to com- 
ply with the just and reasonable re- 
quisition of their brethren they virtu- 
ally said ; ' We will stand by them 
in what they have done; nay, we 



of an hundred throughout all 
the tribes of Israel, and a hun- 
dred of a thousand, and a thou- 
sand out of ten thousand, to 
fetch victual for the people, that 
they may do, when they come 
to Gibeah of Benjamin, accord 
ing to all the folly that they have 
wrought in Israel. 

11 So all the men of Israel 
were gathered against the city, 
knit together as one man. 

12 IT ' And the tribes of Israel 
sent men through all the tribe 
of Benjamin, saying, What wick- 
edness is this that is done among 
you ? 

13 Now therefore deliver us 
the men, m the children of Be- 
lial, which are in Gibeah, that 
we may put them to death, and 

l Deut. 13. 14. Josh. 22. 13, 16. m Deut. 
13.13. ch. 19. 22. 



would ourselves have acted the same 
part had we been present.' It is dif- 
ficult to conceive a case of more hard- 
ened and aggravated depravity than 
this. ' Who would not have looked 
that the hands of Benjamin should 
have been first on Gibeah ; and that 
they should have readily sent the 
heads of the offenders for a second 
service after the fragments of the 
concubine 1 But now instead of pun- 
ishing the sin, they patronise the ac- 
tors, and will rather die in resisting 
justice, than live and prosper in fur- 
thering it! The abetting of evil is 
worse than the commission ; this 
may be on infirmity, but that must be 
on resolution. Easy punishment is 
too much favor to sin; connivance 
is much worse; but the defence of 
it, and that unto blood, is intolerable. 7 
Bp. Hall. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



243 



n put away evil from Israel. 
But the children of Benjamin 
would not hearken to the voice 
of their brethren the children 
of Israel : 

14 But the children of Benja- 
min gathered themselves toge- 
ther out of the cities unto Gibe- 
ah, to go out to battle against 
the children of Israel. 

15 And the children of Benja- 
min were numbered at that time 
out of the cities twenty and six 
thousand men that drew sword, 
beside the inhabitants of Gibe- 
ah, which were numbered seven 
hundred cbosen men. 

16 Among all this people there 

n Deut. 17. 12. 



16. Left handed. Heb. ' shut or 
obstructed of the right hand.' See 
Note on ch. 3. 15. It is somewhat of 
a curious circumstance, that Benja- 
min, which signifies the son of the 
right hand, should have had so much 

of a left handed posterity. IT And 

not miss. Heb. KErP fc$Vl veto ya- 
'hati. Gr. /cat ovk e^ajxapravovTes, and not 
sin: thus affording a clue lo the true 
import of the word sin, viz. missing 
the mark, erring from one's scope. 
This is well expressed in the New 
Testament by aaapravw, from a ne- 
gative, and fjapTTTw, to hit the mark. 
To love, serve, and enjoy God is 'our 
being's end and aim,' which the sin- 
ner in his course of transgression, 
misses, and too often, alas ! to his 
final undoing. 

18. The children of Israel arose, 
and went up to the house of God. 
Heb. ifcttT'O beth-el, which some ex- 
positors take to be the place so de- 
nominated, supposing that the ark 
had been removed thither on this I 



were seven hundred chosen men 
left-handed ; every one could 
sling stones at an hair-breadth, 
and not miss. 

17 And the men of Israel, be- 
sides Benjamin, were numbered 
four hundred thousand men that 
drew sword : all these were men 
of war. 

18 IF And the children of Israel 
arose, and p went up to the house 
of God, and q asked counsel of 
God, and said, Which of us 
shall go up first to the battle 
against the children of Benja- 
min ? And the Lord said, Ju- 
dah shall go up first. 

o ch. 3. 15. 1 Chron. 12. 2. p ver. 23, 26. 
q Num. 27. 21. ch. 1. 1. 



occasion from Shiloh. And it must 
be admitted that there is some force 
in the remark of Rosenmiiller, that 
the habitation of the ark is elsewhere 
uniformly called fcTftKil tl*Q beth 
haelohim, and in no other instance, 
J)K imn beth-el, as here. Still, as we 
can see no sufficient reason for such 
a transfer of the tabernacle at this 
time, we abide by the sense given in 
our translation, and suppose that the 
1 house of God ' at Shiloh is intend- 
ed. This place was very near to 
Mizpeh, where they were now as- 
sembled, and the enterprise in which 
they were now engaged was alto- 
gether too important to allow them 
to think of entering upon it without 
previously taking counsel of God. 
But the defective manner in which 
this was done will appear very strik- 
ingly in the sequel. IT WJdch of 

us shall go up first, &c. It will be 
observed that they do not ask wheth- 
er they shall go up at all, which un- 
doubtedly ought to have been their 



244 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406 



19 And the children of Israel 
rose up in the morning, and en- 
camped against Gibeah. 

20 And the men of Israel went 
out to battle against Benjamin ; 
and the men of Israel put them- 
selves in array to fight against 
them at Gibeah. 

21 And r the children of Ben- 
jamin came forth out of Gibeah, 

r Gen. 49. 27. 

first inquiry on an occasion of so 
much importance. But confiding in 
the justness of their cause, they take 
it for granted that all is right in re- 
sorting to arms against their breth- 
ren, and merely inquire who should 
take the lead in the expedition, about 
which it is not unlikely there had 
been some contention in the assem- 
bly. For wise reasons the Most High 
was pleased to leave them to learn 
their error, or at least their precipi- 
tance in this respect, by the event. He 
says, in reply, not as our translation 
has it, ' Judah (shall go up) first,' but 
simply fftnrQ rniiT 1 Yehudah batte- 
'hillah, Judah (is) in the precedency, 
q. d. ' Judah has already, ch. 1. 2, 
been constituted leader of the tribes, 
the pre-eminence in every important 
point has been before assigned to that 
tribe. ; of what use then is inquiry on 
that head now V This answer, in- 
stead of being rightly construed as 
implying the divine approbation of 
their proceedings, is rather to be re- 
garded as a sovereign connivance in 
their rashness. Designing undoubt- 
edly to bring about the punishment 
of the mass of the people for their 
guilty toleration of the idolatry es- 
tablished in Dan, he is pleased for 
the present to ' choose their delusions.' 
It may be admitted that apart from 



and destroyed down to the 
ground of the Israelites that day 
twenty and two thousand men. 

22 And the people, the men 
of Israel, encouraged themselves, 
and set their battle again in ar- 
ray in the place where they put 
themselves in array the first day. 

23 ( 8 And the children of Israel 
went up and wept before the 

s ver. 26, 27. 



their delinquency in sparing the Dan- 
ites, they had justly incurred defeat 
by their precipitate entrance upon the 
war, but God in his righteous pro- 
vidence often makes a lesser sin the 
occasion of punishing a greater, and 
yet no iniquity can be laid to his 
charge. A decaying tree, which 
has withstood the violence of many 
a tempest, may at last be blown 
down by the merest breath of wind. 
Let no sinner from long forbearance 
promise himself final impunity. 'Man 
knoweth not his time : as the fishes 
that are taken in an evil net, and as 
the birds that are caught in the snare ; 
so are the sons of men snared in an 
evil time, when it falleth suddenly 
upon them.' 

22. The men of Israel encouraged 
themselves. Heb. pTfflrP yith'hazzek, 
strengthened themselves ; i. e. assumed 
fresh courage. Attributing the re- 
cent defeat to some misconduct which 
they conceive themselves able to 
remedy, they are altogether sanguine 
in view of the result of another en- 
gagement. IT In the place where 

they put themselves in array the first 
day. Determined, it would seem, to 
retrieve the disgrace of their failure 
on the very spot where it had been 
incurred. Should they succeed in a 
second conflict under the same circum- 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



245 



Lord untL even, and asked 
counsel of the Lord, saying, 
Shall I go up again to battle 
against the children of Benjamin 
my brother ? And the Lord 
said, Go up against him.) 
24 And the children of Israel 

i ver. 21. 



stances, it would effectually wipe 
away the ignominy contracted by the 
issue of the first. 

23. Went up and wept before the 
Lord. Yet all their arrangements 
for battle had been previously made, 
and they seem now to have consult- 
ed God, as some men consult the 
Scriptures, to establish a previously 
formed opinion. It was not to learn 
their duty in the first instance, but to 
obtain sanction for a measure upon 
which they had already resolved. 
They should have deferred making 
their preparations till after they had 
made their confession and taken 
counsel. Their tears and lamenta- 
tions under these circumstances 
availed them nothing ; at least, did 
not secure them from defeat ; and as 
in their self-confidence, they made 
no inquiry as to success, nor invoked 
assistance, God gave them no pro- 
mise on that score. "ft And the Lord 

said. Go up against him. As if he 
had said, ' You have good cause for 
going up against them, they have 
justly rendered themselves liable to 
punishment ;' and yet the result 
plainly proves, that he did not design 
hereby to convey to them any inti- 
mation that his blessing or protec- 
tion would accompany them, so long 
as they were not duly humbled and 
penitent for their sins, and thus pre- 
pared for success. The permission, 
therefore, to go up was similar to 
21* 



came near against the children 
of Benjamin the second day. 

25 And 'Benjamin went forth 
against them out of Gibeah the 
second day, and destroyed down 
to the ground of the children of 
Israel again eighteen thousand 
men ; all these drew the sword. 



that given to Balaam to go with the 
elders of Moab — a mere tolerance, 
not an approbation, of the step, as 
mewed in connexion with the motives 
by which it was prompted. Seeing 
them resolved to go forward at all 
events, he was pleased to exercise his 
prerogative and return to them an 
answer apparently coinciding with 
their wishes, and capable of being so 
understood, as to mislead them, in 
case the perverseness of their hearts 
should put such a construction upon 
it. But there was no necessity for 
their misinterpreting the oracle, and 
God is still to be accounted right- 
eous, though his words or his ways 
may prove an occasion of stumbling 
to those whose hearts are already 
predisposed to it. He is under no 
obligation to correct the erroneous 
impressions of those who 'draw near 
to him with their lips while their 
hearts are far from him.' 

25. Destroyed — again eighteen thou- 
sand mm. The remarks already 
made above will serve to throw light 
upon the reasons of this disastrous 
issue of a cause in itself good. God 
had ulterior designs to effect beyond 
the merited punishment of the Ben- 
jamites. He had great moral les- 
sons to teach, not to the men of that 
age only, but to the most distant gen- 
erations. Especially may we sup- 
pose that he proposed by such a re- 
sult to impress upon our minds the 



246 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



26 IT Then all the children of 
Israel, and all the people, u went 
up, and came unto the house of 
God, and wept, and sat there 



u ver. 18. 



conviction, that the success of any 
cause depends not solely upon its in- 
trinsic goodness, but also upon its 
being conducted with a right spirit 
and by proper means. Israel had 
ample grounds for proceeding to ex- 
tremities against their offending 
brethren, and yet from not going for- 
ward in an acceptable manner they 
met with a terrible rebuke when they 
least expected it; and not only so, 
for a time the cause of the wicked 
seemed to triumph. The Prophet 
Hosea, ch. 10, 9, in allusion to this 
event says, 'The battle in Gibeah 
against the children of iniquity did 
not overtake them,' i. e. did not at 
first overtake them, and any one who 
should have witnessed the two de- 
feats of Israel would have been ready 
to conclude that the cause for which 
victory was decided was right. But 
we are not to judge from events. 
Righteousness is not always tri- 
umphant in this world. It may be 
oppressed, and the supporters of it for 
a long time foiled in their labors and 
apparently trodden under foot ; but 
though cast down, they shall not be 
destroyed: a day is at hand when 
God will vindicate his own cause, 
and evince the equity of all his dis- 
pensations. In the mean time, let 
us make the unalterable word of God 
the rule of our judgment as well as 
of our actions, and we can never go 
far amiss. 

26. Went up, and . came unto the 
house of God. and wept, &c. Con- 
founded by these repeated strokes of 



before the Lord, and fasted that 
day until even, and offered burnt- 
offerings and peace-offerings be- 
fore the Lord. 
27 And the children of Israel 



adverse providence, they are led at 
length to ' accomplish a more dili- 
gent search ' into the true causes of 
the sad disaster which had befallen 
them. They see now that they had 
trusted too much to the goodness of 
their cause and the superiority of 
their numbers. They are now con- 
vinced that they ought to have begun 
at the outset with repentance and re- 
formation, with solemn sacrifices and 
earnest supplications, instead of 
rushing forward with unhumbled 
hearts, reckless of their own apos- 
tasies, and prompted by a zeal for 
God in which was largely mingled 
the ' strange fire' of human resent- 
ment. The consequence is, that in 
deep afiliction they now compass 
God's altar, abasing their souls un- 
der the sense of conscious guilt, re- 
jecting every vain confidence, be- 
wailing not so much their losses as 
the unworthiness which had caused 
them, and devoutly imploring that 
aid which they had before so rashly 
taken for granted. This was the 
right method of procedure, and the 
happy fruits of their weeping and 
fasting begin at once to appear. 
Being brought to a proper frame of 
spirit they are prepared to receive 
the blessing, and the Most High ac- 
cordingly gives them positive assur- 
ance of success ; ' Go up, for to-mor- 
row I will deliver them into thine 
hand.' Whenever a soul, in true 
humiliation, is brought low before 
God, the end of its calamities is at 
,hand; the day of deliverance has 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



247 



Inquired of the Lord, (for x the 
ark of the covenant of God was 
there in those days, 

28 y And Phinehas, the son of 
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, 
z stood before it in those days,) 
saying, Shall I yet again go out 
to battle against the children of 
Benjamin my brother, or shall I 
cease ? And the Lord said, Go 



x Josh. 18. 1. 1 Sam. 4. 3, 4. 
33. * Deut. 10. 8, and 18. 5. 



Josh. 24. 



already dawned. %Sat tliere before 

the Lord. Implying either that they 
assumed the usual posture of mour- 
ners, Lam. 1. 1 ; Ps. 137. 1, or that 
they abode there, as the same phrase 
is rendered -ch. 21. 12, during the 
whole day, in the exercise of un- 
feigned contrition of spirit, or per- 
haps more properly both. Every 
thing in the phraseology conveys the 
idea that their repentance was deep, 
thorough and sincere. Extraordi- 
nary cases require extraordinary acts 
of self-abasement, and godly sorrow. 
Men are often but Utile aware how 
deep their spiritual wounds need to 
be probed in order to effect a perfect 
cure. We are apt to heal the hurts 
of our souls too slightly. Probably 
one great design of this narrative was 
to teach us that God often sees be- 
neath a fair exterior an amount of 
corruption, which an ordinary or su- 
perficial repentance will not avail to 
remove. 

28. Phinehas — stoodbeforeit in those 
days. Or, Heb. T*}&Jl 1fc» omid le- 
panauv, before him, i. e.God. ' Stand- 
ing.' o'r c standing before' any one, is 
a Scriptural term for ministering, as 
appears from Deut. 10. 8 ; 18. 7 ; 
Prov. 22. 29; Jer. 52. 12, compared 
with 2 Kings 25. 8, in the former of 



up ; for to-morrow I will deliver 
them into thy hand. 

29 And Israel a set liers in wait 
round about Gibeah. 

30 And the children of Israel 
went up against the children of 
Benjamin on the third day, and 
put themselves in array against 
Gibeah, as at other times. 

31 And the children of Benja- 
min went out against the peo- 

a So Josh. 8. 4. 



which the original for ' served ' is 
' stood before.' This was the same 
Phinehas who so remarkably signal- 
ized his zeal for the glory of God on 
a former occasion, Num. 25. Had 
this war occurred after the death of 
Samson. Phinehas must now have 
been upwards of 300 years old ; but 
it fell out between the death of Joshua 
and the first judge. 

29. Israel set liers in wait. Not- 
withstanding the express promise 
which had been given them of suc- 
cess, yet they expected it not without 
the use of the proper means. Divine 
assurances rightly received, instead 
of leading to remissness and pre- 
sumption, will never fail to inspire 
every prudent precaution. The 
management of the stratagem here 
employed is very largely described 
in the ensuing verses, but it is suf- 
ficient to say that in its general fea- 
ture it was very similar to that em- 
ployed with so much success by 
Joshua in the taking of Ai, Josh. 
8. 1-29. 'When God hath used 
Benjamin to execute his justice 
against Israel for not punishing idol- 
atry ; he then useth Israel to punish 
Benjamin for not delivering Gibeah 
up to justice.' Lightfoot. 

31. Were drawn away from the city. 



248 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



pie, and were drawn away from 
the city; and they began to 
smite of the people, and kill, as 
at other times, in the highways, 
of which one goeth up to the 
house of God, and the other to 
Gibeah in the field, about thirty 
men of Israel. 

32 And the children of Benja- 
min said, They are smitten 
down before us, as at the first. 
But the children of Israel said, 
Let us flee, and draw them from 
the city unto the highways. 

33 And all the men of Israel 
rose up out of their place, and 
put themselves in array at Baal- 
tamar : and the liers in wait of 
Israel came forth out of their 
places, even out of the meadows 
of Gibeah. 

34 And there came against 
Gibeah ten thousand chosen 
men out of all Israel, and the 

By the feigned flight of a portion of 

the invaders. IT Began to smite of 

the people, and kill, as at other times. 
Heb. 'began to smile of the people 
wounded, as at other times ;' i. e. to 
smite so as mortally to wound them ; 
a Hebraic idiom of not uncommon 

occurrence. See on eh. 15. 19. 

TT In the highways. That is, perhaps, 
'in the meeting of the ways.' The 
subsequent phrase, ' in the field,' in- 
stead of being connected with Gibeah, 
ought, we imagine, to be connected 
with ' highways,' implying that this 
junction of ways or roads was at 
considerable distance from the city 
of Gibeah. It is difficult to conceive 
what is meant by ' Gibeah in the 
field,' as the city so called was un- 
doubtedly situated on a hill, and we 
have no intimation of any other 



battle was sore : b but they knew 
not that evil was near them. 

35 And the Lord smote Ben- 
jamin before Israel : and the 
children of Israel destroyed of 
the Benjamites that day twenty 
and five thousand and an hun- 
dred men : all these drew the 
sword. 

36 So the children of Benjamin 
saw that they Were smitten : 
c for the men of Israel gave place 
to the Benjamites, because they 
trusted unto the liers in wait 
which they had set beside 
Gibeah. 

37 d And the liers in wait 
hasted, and rushed upon Gibe- 
ah ; and the liers in wait drew 
themselves along, and smote all 
the city with the edge of the 
sword. 

b Josh. 8. 14. Isai.47. 11. c Josh. 8. 15. 
d Josh. 8. 19. 



place of the same name situated ' in 
the field.' 

33. Out &f the meadows of Gibeah. 
Heb. 2D3 ITlSfato mrmmaareh gaba, 
more properly rendered ' caves of 
Gibeah,' for how could an ambuscade 
be placed in meadows ? The details 
of the narrative, included v. 31-43, 
are extremely perplexed, and we 
despair of being able, by any explana- 
tion, to simplify them. The general 
drift of the writer, however, is evi- 
dent, and to understand that is per- 
haps sufficient. 

35. The Lord smote, &c. In this 
verse the sacred writer relates the 
event of the battle in general terms. 
In the sequel he resumes the story, 
giving the particulars of the battle, 
and the consequences of the victory 
more in detail. 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



249 



38 Now there was an appoint- 
ed sign Between the men of Is- 
rael and the liers in wait, that 
they should make a great flame 
with smoke rise up out of the 
city. 

39 And when the men of Is- 
rael retired in the battle, Benja- 
min began to smite and kill of 
the men of Israel about thirty 
persons : for they said, Surely 
they are smitten down before 
us, as in the first battle. 

40 But when the flame began 
to arise up out of the city with 
a pillar of smoke, the Benja- 
mites e looked behind them, and 
behold, the flame of the city 
ascended up to heaven. 

41 And when the men of Is- 
rael turned ao;ain, the men of 
Benjamin were amazed : for 

ejosh. 8.20. 



37. Drew themselves along. Ex- 
tended themselves. We have only 
to conceive of a dense mass of men 
hitherto confined to a narrow com- 
pass suddenly stretching themselves 
out in a long train, and rapidly urg- 
ing their way to the city. 

38. A great flame with smoke. Heb. 
*p2!"i h8W3fca masath heashaa, a great 
elevation of smoke. So also v. 40. 

40. The flame, of the city ascended 
up. Heb. ' the whole, the entireness 
of the city ascended.' The general 
sense, but not the exact meaning of 
the Hebrew, is preserved in our 
translation. 

42. Turned their backs before the 
men of Israel, &c. Undoubtedly an 
erroneous rendering. As we read 
the original, instead of turning their 
backs they turned their faces towards 
the enemy. Seeing their city on fire 



they saw that evil was come 
upon them. 

42 Therefore they turned their 
backs before the men of Israel 
unto the way of the wilderness ; 
but the battle overtook them ; 
and them which came out of the 
cities they destroyed in the midst 
of them. 

43 Thus they enclosed the 
Benjamites round about, and 
chased them, and trode them 
down with ease over against 
Gibeah toward the sun-rising. 

44 And there fell of Benjamin 
eighteen thousand men ; all 
these were men of valor. 

45 And they turned and fled 
toward the wilderness unto the 
rock of f Rimmon . and they 
gleaned of them in the highways 
five thousand men ; and pursued 

f Josh. 15. 32. 



and all hope cut of! in that quarter, 
they again face the enemy with a 
determination, if possible, to cut a 
passage through them, and escape 
to the wilderness. But while at- 
tempting this, the ambush from the 
city (here according to a Hebrew 
idiom, ch. 12. 7, called ' cities') fell 
upon them in the rear ; so that they 
were properly said to be ' destroyed 
in the midst of them,' i. e. between 
the two divisions. 

45. They turned and fled toward 
the wilderness unto the rock of Rim- 
mon. A small remnant escaped, 
notwithstanding every effort to pre- 
vent it, and fled to the rock of Rim- 
mon, supposed to lie in the wilder- 
ness of Judah, about twenty-six miles 
south-west of Jerusalem. IT Glean- 
ed of them in the highways. Cut off 
all the stragglers that they found 



250 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



hard after them unto Gidom, 
and slew two thousand men of 
them. 

46 So that all which fell that 
day of Benjamin were twenty 
and five thousand men that drew 
the sword ; all these were men 
of valor. 

47 g But six hundred men turn- 
ed and fled to the wilderness 

g ch. 21. 13. 



scattered here and there over the 
country. The metaphor is highly 
expressive, implying that they were 
cut off as clean as a field or a vine- 
yard that has been gleaned after the 
harvest or the vintage has been gath- 
ered in. 

46. Twenty and Jive thousand. 
The additional hundred mentioned 
v. 35 is here omitted, and merely the 
round number retained. There 
lacks also another thousand to make 
out the whole force of the Benja- 
mites as given v. 15, but these are 
supposed to have fallen in the two 
former battles, and so are omitted 
here, where he speaks only of those 
slain in the third day. 

47. The rock of Rimmon. This 
was doubtless some strong rocky hold 
or fastness, that took its name from 
the village of Rimmon, mentioned by 
Eusebius, fifteen miles north from 
Jerusalem. It appears that rocks are 
still resorted to in the East as places 
of security, and some of them are 
even capable of sustaining a siege. 
De la Roque says, that the Grand 
Seignior, wishing to seize the person 
of the Emir (Fakaddin, prince of the 
Druzes) gave orders to the pacha to 
take him prisoner; he accordingly 
came in search of him with a new 
army, in the district of Cheuf, which 



unto the rock Rimmon, and 
abode in the rock Rimmon four 
months. 

48 And the men of Israel turn- 
ed again upon the children of 
Benjamin, and smote them with 
the edge of the sword, as well 
the men of every city, as the 
beast, and all that came to hand : 
also they set on fire all the 
cities that they came to. 



is part of mount Lebanon, wherein is 
the village of Gesin, and close to it 
the rock which served for a retreat 
to the emir. The pacha pressed the 
emir so closely, that this unfortunate 
prince was obliged to shut himself 
up in a cleft of a great rock with a 
small number of his officers. The 
pacha besieged them for several 
months ; and was gowing to blow up 
the rock with a mine, when the 
emir capitulated. (Bagster.) 

48. Smote them with the edge of the 
sword, &c. Probably the excessive 
severity of the slaughter on this oc- 
casion, considered as the act of Israel, 
cannot be justified ; and so they them- 
selves seem to have viewed it after 
their passions had had time to cool, 
ch. 21. 3. The crime of the men of 
Gibeah was indeed great, but it does 
not appear to have been sufficient to 
warrant the extirpation of a whole 
tribe. Considered, however, as the 
sovereign allotment of Jehovah we 
must acquiesce in it as a dispensa- 
tion, to the justice of which we can 
make no reply. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

1. The men of Israel had sworn, 
&c. At the commencement of the 
war, when assembled at Mizpeh. 
"We have no previous account of this 



B. C. 1406. j 



CHAPTER XXL 



251 



CHAPTER XXL 

NOW a the men of Israel had 
sworn in Mizpeh, saying, 
There shall not any of us give 
his daughter unto Benjamin to 
wife. 
2 And the people came b to 

a ch. 20. 1. b ch. 20. 18, 26. 



oath, but it is plainly of a piece with 
the general precipitancy and rash- 
ness which characterized their con- 
duct on this occasion, and serves 
still farther to account for the sad 
discomfiture which marked the out- 
set of their enterprise. The oath, 
which, as appears f:om v. 18, was 
attended with an execration, was not 
probably made with the design of 
extirpating the tribe, for it supposes 
that some of the Benjamites might 
survive, and if so, they might marry 
the surviving women of their own 
tribe ; but it merely expresses a gene- 
ral determination to treat the actors 
and abettors of the horrid deed per- 
petrated at Gibeah, as they would 
treat the worst of the devoted Canaan- 
ites, with whom they were utterly for- 
bidden to intermarry. Their own 
subsequent conduct, however, as re- 
lated in the present chapter, proves 
that they were sensible of having 
gone too far, and reminds us of the 
fact, that when our spirits are exas- 
perated we too often say and do that 
which in our calmer moments we 
wish unsaid and undone. Nothing 
more requires the controlling influ- 
ence of the wisdom which is from 
above, than the impulses of an ar- 
dent zeal. ' There may be over-do- 
ing in well-doing. That is no good 
divinity which swallows up humani- 
ty.' Henry. 

2. Lifted up their voices, and xoept 



the house of God, and abode 
there till even before God, and 
lifted up their voices, and wept 
sore ; 

3 And said, O Lord God of 
Israel, why is this come to pass 
in Israel, that there should be 
to-day one tribe lacking in Israel? 



sore. They found but meiancholy 
matter for triumph in their recent 
victory. It was an event not to be 
celebrated by the voice of joy and 
praise, but by that of lamentation and 
mourning and wo. Having satisfied 
their revenge, they now experience 
the truth of the remark, that ' strong 
passions make work for repentance,' 
Still they did well in appealing to 
God in their extremity. His infinite 
compassion allows us to have re- 
course to him to repair the breaches 
which our own folly and infatuation 
have made. Provided we are truly 
penitent in view of the past, we may 
say to him of the desolations we have 
wrought, ' This ruin be under thy 
hand,' i. e. under thy remedial, thy 
restoring hand. 

3. Why is this come to pass in Is- 
rael? &c This, if we regard the 
mere letter, has somewhat the air 
of irreverent remonstrance or ex- 
postulation with God, for suffering 
such a calamity to befall his people ; 
but considering the penitent frame 
of mind in which they were now 
assembled, we know not how to at- 
tribute to them so gross an impiety 
as this interpretation would suppose. 
We take it rather as an expression 
of mingled self-reproach and suppli- 
cation, equivalent to saying, 'Alas! 
how is it possible that we could have 
been guilty of such an outrage ! that 
we should have uttered a vow in- 



252 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



4 And it came to pass on the 
morrow, that the people rose 
early, and c built there an altar, 
and offered burnt-offerings, and 
peace-offerings. 

5 And the children of Israel 
said, Who is there among all the 
tribes of Israel that came not 

c 2 Sam. 24. 25. 

volving such a necessity as the vir- 
tual extinction of a tribe ! O Lord 
God, is there no way of extrication 
from the dilemma in which we have 
so thoughtlessly ensnared ourselves?' 
The prayer evidently implies the be- 
lief on their part, that it would be 
more offensive in the eyes of heaven 
if they should persist in adhering to 
their rash purpose, than if they should 
renounce it, and yet the burden of a 
solemn obligation rests upon their 
consciences, from which they dare 
not deem themselves released except 
by a divine dispensation. See Note 
on Josh. 9. 15. 

4. Built there an altar. There 
was, undoubtedly, an altar already 
established at Shiloh for the ordinary 
round of services, but the probability 
is, that they now built one of larger 
dimensions than the other, in order 
to accommodate the greater multitude 
of sacrifices which they proposed to 
offer on this occasion. A similar 
measure, we learn 1 Kings, 8. 64, 
was adopted by Solomon for a simi- 
lar reason. The motives by which 
they were governed made the step 
lawful. The altar was erected, not 
in competition, but in communion, 
with that already established at the 
door of the tabernacle. 

5. Had made a great oath, &c. 
That is, an oath attended with a 
fearful execration, an anathema, 



up with the congregation unto 
the Lord ? d For they had made 
a great oath concerning him 
that came not up to the Lord 
to Mizpeh, saying, He shall 
surely be put to death. 

6 And the children of Israel 
repented them for Benjamin 

d ch. 5. 23. i 



against him who should fall under 
its effects. They now begin to per- 
ceive a clue to guide them out of 
the labyrinth of perplexity in which 
they were previously involved. 
Whether this expedient was divine- 
ly suggested, we are not informed. 

-1T.0e shall surely be put to death, 

A severe sentence, but perhaps just 
under the circumstances. Indiffer- 
ence to so aggravated a crime as 
that of the men of Gibeah showed 
an extremely depraved state of mo- 
ral feeling, and their brethren could 
not but look upon their refusal to 
aid in bringing the offenders to con- 
dign punishment as a virtual sanc- 
tion of the deed. They felt bound, 
therefore, to proceed against them 
just as if they had personally shared 
in the guilt of the heinous transac- 
tion. Yet we know not that the 
actual execution of their oath in the 
indiscriminate slaughter of men, 
married women, and children, is to 
be any more excused than the pre- 
vious unsparing destruction of the 
Benjamites. Without presuming 
to denominate the passions by which 
they were prompted ' cursed,' as did 
Jacob the spirit of Simeon and Levi 
in their conduct towards the She- 
chemites, we may still say in the pa- 
arch's language of ' their anger, it 
was fierce, and their wrath it was 
cruel.' 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XXI. 



253 



their brother, and said, There is 
one tribe cut off from Israel this 
day. 

7 How shall we do for wives 
for them that remain, seeing we 
have sworn by the Lord, that 
we will not give them of our 
daughters to wives ? 

8 II And they said, What one 
is there of the tribes of Israel that 
came not up to Mizpeh to the 



6. There is one tribe, cut off from 
Israel this day. Likely to be cut off; 
that will be cut off, unless some 
measures are taken to prevent it. 
For it appears from the next verse, 
though no where expressly asserted, 
that they had destroyed all the wo- 
men of Benjamin, and as only the 
small remnant of six hundred men 
remained, who had fled to the rock 
of Rimmon, there was evident dan- 
ger of the extinction of the whole 
tribe. But this was an event not to 
be thought of, if it were possible to 
prevent it. ' God had taken care of 
every tribe; their number twelve 
was that which they were known by; 
every tribe had its station appointed 
in the camp, and his stone in the 
high priesi's breastplate ; every tribe 
had his blessing both from Jacob and 
Moses, and it would be an intoler- 
able reproach to them, if they should 
drop any out of this illustrious jury, 
and lose oue out of twelve; especi- 
ally Benjamin, the youngest, who 
was especially dear to Jacob, their 
common ancestor, and whom all the 
rest ought to have been in a particu- 
lar manner lender of. Benjamin is 
no' ; what then will become of Ja- 
cob 1 Benjamin becomes a Benoni ; 
the sr.r. of the right hand, a son of 
sorrow !' Henry. 

22 



Lord ? And behold, there came 
none to the camp from e Jabesh- 
gilead to the assembly. 

9 For the people were num- 
bered, and behold there were 
none of the inhabitants of Ja- 
besh-gilead there. 

10 And the congregation sent 
thither twelve thousand men of 
the valiantest, and commanded 

el Sam. 11. hand 31. 11. 



8. There came none to the camp 
from Jabesh-gilead. This was a city 
of the half-tribe of Manasseh, east of 
Jordan, situated on a hill near Mount 
Gilead, about fifteen miles east of 
Jordan, and about an equal distance 
south of Gadara. It was not far from 
the lake of Genesaret. Eusebius and 
Jerome say that it was a large town 
in their time, standing upon a hill 
six miles south of Pella, iiLihe way 
to Gerasa, now Djerash. The Wadi 
Yabes, mentioned by Burckhardt, 
which empties itself into the Jordan, 
in the neighborhood of Bisan or 
Bethshan, and upon which Pella was 
siLuated, seems to have taken its name 
from Jabesh. Near this spot, there- 
fore, we must look for its site; and 
the place called KalautRabbad seems 
to correspond very nearly to the spot ; 
though it probably still, retains, 
among the Arabs, its ancient name. 
(Bagster.) 

10. Sent thither twelve thousand 
men of the valiantest. Heb. ^J2f2 
rpnn mibbene he'hayil, of the sons of 
might, or prowess. It is seriously to 
be questioned whether they were jus- 
tifiable in resolving upon such a sum- 
mary mode of vengeance, without 
any previous inquiry, or giving them 
any opportunity of defence. The 
presumpiion, it is true, was decidedly 



254 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



them, saying, f Go and smite the 
inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with 
the edge of the sword, with the 
women and the children. 

11 And this is the thing that 
ye shall do, g Ye shall utterly 
destroy every male, and every 
woman that hath lain by man. 

12 And they found among the 
inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four 
hundred young virgins that had 

f ver. 5, and ch. 5. 23. 1 Sam. 11. 7. 
g Num. 31. 17. 

against the men of Jabesh-gilead, 
yet it is still possible that they might 
have been able to plead some exten- 
uating circumstances in their behalf, 
and if so, they certainly should have 
had an opportunity afforded them. 
But when the passions are vehe- 
mently excited, men are prone to be 
carried beyond all bounds of equity 
or decorum, and the Israelites in this 
instance appear to have committed 
a second crime to repair the conse- 
quences of a first. 

11. That hath lain by man. Heb. 
*Ot rDffifc r)2-p yodoath mishkab 
zdkdr, knowing, or having experience, 
of the lying by man. This order ex- 
cepted of course the virgins from its 
effects. They were perhaps influ- 
enced in this by the precedent re- 
corded Num. 31. 17, 18, where Moses, 
when he sent the same number of 
men to avenge the Lord upon Midian, 
gave it in charge, as here, that all 
the married women be slain with 
their husbands, but that the virgins 
should be preserved alive. We may 
suppose the unmarried maidens to 
have been easily distinguishable by 
their mode of dress from the married 
women. 

12. Four hundred young virgins. 



known no man by lying with 
any male : and they brought 
them unto the camp to b Shiloh, 
which is in the land of Canaan. 

13 And the whole congregation 
sent some to speak to the child- 
ren of Benjamin ' that were in the 
rock Rimmon, and to call peace- 
ably unto them. 

14 And Benjamin came again 
at that time ; and they gave 
them wives which they had 

h Josh. 18. 1. i ch. 20. 47. Deut. 20. 10. 



Heb. rfc-ira troa mafc s>:n» arba 

meoth nahardh bethulah, four hundred 
young women,virgins.\3 nmarried, but 
marriageable. It is to be presumed 
that all other young females were also 

spared. H Shiloh, which is in the 

land of Canaan. Thus particularly 
designated, because Jabesh-gilead 
was not situated in Canaan proper, 
but in the land of Gilead east of the 
Jordan. 

13. In the rock Rimmon. That is, 
in a cave in the rock of which they 
made a fastness, and there vigorously 

maintained their position. ir To 

call peaceably unto them. Heb. la'lp" 1 ! 
dl^lD Bili vayikreu lahem shalom, 
to proclaim peace unto them. Arab. 
' saluting them and giving them a 
pledge.' To assure them that their 
former enmity was now extinguish- 
ed, and that they might now with 
safety leave their stronghold. They 
had escaped the slaughter and been 
thus far preserved by the special 
providence of God, to prevent the 
utter extinction of the tribe. Had 
the Israelites succeeded to the utmost 
of their wishes, they would have cut 
them off entirely. 

14. Benjamin came again. The 
scantv remnant of the tribe returned 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XXI. 



255 



saved alive of the women of 
Jabesh-gilead : and yet so they 
sufficed them not. 

15 And the people k repented 
them for Benjamin, because that 
the Lord had made a breach in 
the tribes of Israel. 

16 IT Then the elders of the 
congregation said, How shall 
we do for wives for them that 
remain, seeing the women are 
destroyed out of Benjamin ? 

17 And they said, There must 



from their place of retreat; assured 
of safety, they came again into the 
midst of Israel. IT Yet so they suf- 
ficed not. Heb. p &H> 1SS& a$1 
veto matzeu lahem ken, and tltcy found 
not for them so; i. e found not enough ; 
there was still a remainder of two 
hundred left unsupplied. 

15. The people repented them. Ra- 
ther, ' commiserated, or were griev- 
ed about Benjamin their brother.' 

IT T/ce Lord had made. Had permitted 
to be made, had so ordered things in 
his providence that a breach was 
made. The divine permissions are 
incessantly spoken of in the Scrip- 
tures as positive acts. The same 
event which is referred to men as far 
as it is a sin, is referred to God as 
far as it is a punishment. It is in 
this sense that the prophet's language 
is to be interpreted, ' Is there evil in 
the city, and the Lord hath not done 
it? 

17. There must be an inheritance 
for them that be escaped of Benjamin. 
Or, Heb. ' the inheritance (i. e. of 
the whole tribe of Benjamin) (is or 
belongs to) the escaped remnant of 
Benjamin.' We must therefore pro- 
cure wives for them all, that they 



be an inheritance for them that 
be escaped of Benjamin, that a 
tribe be not destroyed out of 
Israel. 

18 Howbeit, we may not give 
them wives of our daughters: 
1 for the children of Israel have 
sworn, saying, Cursed be he that 
giveth a wife to Benjamin. 

19 Then they said, Behold, 
there is a feast of the Lord in 
Shiloh yearly in a place which 
is on the north side of Beth-el, 

1 ver. 1. ch. 11. 35. 



may be capable of possessing and 
cultivating the whole of their terri- 
tory. 

19. A feast of the Lord in Shiloh. 
That is, a festival. In modern ac- 
ceptation, ' feast,' implies a banquet 
or eating entertainment, but this is not 
necessarily included in the Scriptur- 
al sense of the term. It often means 
no more than a festive occasion, how- 
ever celebrated, and probably has 
that import here. But what particu- 
lar solemnity is intended it is impos- 
sible to determine. It might have 
been either the passover, pentecost, or 
feast of tabernacles, all of which 
were celebrated at that time of the 
year, when the vines were in full 
leaf, so that the Benjamites might 
easily conceal themselves in the vine- 
yards. M On the north side of Beth- 
el. This is a particular indication of 
the situation, not of Shiloh, but of 
the place in the neighborhood where 
the young women were likely to come 
to dance. It is probably thus pre- 
cisely described, that the Benjamites 
might not mistake the place. It was 
not certain that the young women 
would come there (v. 21), but it was 
probable, the custom being common. 



256 



JUDGES. 



[B. C. 1406. 



on the east side of the highway 
that goeth up from Beth-el to 
Shechem, and on the south of 
Lebonah. 

20 Therefore they commanded 
the children of Benjamin, say- 
ing, Go, and lie in wait in the 
vineyards ; 

21 And see, and behold, if the 
daughters of Shiloh come out 
m to dance in dances, then come 
ye out of the vineyards, and 

m See Ex. 15. 20. ch. 11. 34. 1 Sam. 18. 
6. Jer. 31. 13. 

The Orientals generally have no 
places in their towns, where assem- 
blies may be held for festivity and 
dancing. It is therefore customary 
to hold such assemblies in some plea- 
sant places in the neighborhood, in 
the gardens or plantations, or in 
small valleys, if there be any. This 
is a favorite mode of enjoyment with 
the women. There are certain occa- 
sions of annual recurrence in which 
the women are allowed this indul- 
gence in the fullest extent, and thus 
they form large parties, which go out 
to amuse themselves with music, 
dancing, and such other recreations, 
as are common among females. The 
approaches of the place wheie they 
assemble are now usually guarded by 
eunuchs to prevent intrusion. The 
different sexes never participate in 
each other's amusements ; and this 
was the case in the times of the Bi- 
ble ; for we never read of any amuse- 
ment or festivity in which they min- 
gled ; and if men had in this instance 
been present with the daughters of 
Shiloh, the Benjamites would not so 
easily have secured their prey. {Pict. 

Bible.) IF Lebonah. Maundrell 

supposes the site of the ancient Le- 



catch you every man his wife 
of the daughters of Shiloh, and 
go to the land of Benjamin. 

22 And it shall be, when their 
fathers or their brethren come 
unto us to complain, that we 
will say unto them, Be favor- 
able unto them for our sakes : 
because we reserved not to 
each man his wife in the war : 
for ye did not give unto them at 
this time, that ye should be 
guilty. 

23 And the children of Benja- 

bonah to be occupied either by Khan 
Leben, situated on the eastern side 
of a : delicious vale,' four leagues 
south from Shechem, and two leagues 
north from Beth-el, or by the village 
of Leban which is on the. opposite 
side. It is eight hours, or about 
twenty-four miles from Jerusalem, 
according to Dr. Richardson. 

21. Catch you every man his wife. 
Heb. 1Dta& TD" 1 ^ ish ishto, a woman, 
his wife. Seize and carry off a wo- 
man, whom he is, from that hour, to 
consider as his wife. 

22. Be favorable unto them for our 
sakes. Rather, Heb. &m» lyfifi 
'honnunu otham, be gracious to us 
with them, or, as it respects them. The 
reasons urged for this clemency they 
go on immediately to state. TT Be- 
cause we reserved not to each man his 
wife in the war. Intimating that 
they were conscious of having done 
wrong in the indiscriminate slaugh- 
ter of the women of Benjamin ; that 
they ought at least to have reserved 
enough to furnish wives for the rem- 
nant that survived. By this con- 
struction of their vow not to match 
with them, they would, if possible, 
atone for the rashness of their vow 



B. C. 1406.] 



CHAPTER XXL 



257 



min did so, and took them wives, 
according to their number, of 
them that danced, whom they 
caught : and they went and re- 
turned unto their inheritance, 
and u repaired the cities, and 
dwelt in them. 

24 And the children of Israel 
departed thence at that time, 

n See ch. 20. 48. 

to destroy them. IT Ye did not give 

unto them at this time that ye should 
be guiltij. By not giving your daugh- 
ters or sisters voluntarily, ye have 
avoided the guilt of violating your 
solemn vow. As they were taken by 
force and fraud, without your know- 
ledge or consent, you have no reason 
to blame yourselves for the transac- 
tion, and the exigency of the case is 
so pressing, that it behooves all par- 
ties to submit to it in silence. Of 
the measure in general we can only 
say, that although they escaped by it 
the literal breach of their vow, yet it 
was in fact an actual evasion of it, 
and one tending to give direct license 
to fraud, violence, and the marriage 
of children without the consent of 
their parents. The incident, how- 
ever, extenuated by circumstances, 
adds one more to the numerous proofs 
afforded by holy writ of the weak- 
ness, the folly, and pernicious con- 
sequences of precipitate vows. 

23. Went and returned unto their 
inheritance. Although the end can 
never justify the means, yet in the 
proent case the abducted maidens 
of Israel probably had no cause in 
the issue, to rue the lot which had 
made them wives against their wills, 
or at least without their consent. 
The Benjamites seem to have acted 

22* 



every man to his tribe and to 
his family, and they went out 
from thence every man to his 
inheritance. 

25 ° In those days there was no 
king in Israel : r every man did 
that which was right in his own 
eyes. 

o ch. 17. 6, and 18. 1, and 19. 1. p Deut. 
12.8. ch. 17.6. 



towards them in the most honorable 
manner, and as the six hundred men 
shared by survivorship the inherit- 
ance of many thousands, they were 
probably better provided for in the 
things of this world, than if they had 
married within the bounds of their 
own tribes. But man's evil is evil 
still, though God in his sovereignty 
may bring good out of it. 

24. Every man to his tribe. By 
comparing this with ch. 20. 47, it 
appears that although this was at 
least four months after the war with 
Benjamin, yet the forces did not dis- 
band themselves and retire to their 
homes, till the affair of the remnant 
of that tribe was finally and peace- 
ably adjusted. 

25. No king in Israel. Repeated 
undoubtedly in order to account for 
the disorders and enormities related 
in the preceding chapters. The 
writer informs us that these events 
occurred in a time of complete an- 
archy when every man did that 
which was right in his own eyes— - 
the only apology that could be offer- 
ed for such atrocious scenes. Such 
an impartial relation of facts so 
highly discreditable to his own na- 
tion, affords the strongest proof of 
the truth and authenticity of the 
whole narrative. 









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